


Before East Portlemouth Prep

by aforgetfulgirl, hangonsilvergirl, vixx (orphan_account)



Series: The Order of Weed [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, MWPP Era, Marauders, Multi, Swearing, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 14:27:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1902450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aforgetfulgirl/pseuds/aforgetfulgirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hangonsilvergirl/pseuds/hangonsilvergirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/vixx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in a magic-less alternate universe, a small collection of stories detailing early James & Sirius mischief, the formation of the Order of Weed, and the early years of Gideon Prewett and Marlene McKinnon. Also, a goat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awkward Tongue Kisses (July 17th, 1995)

**Author's Note:**

> FYI: This story was originally posted on a Livejournal between 2005 & 2008\. I am posting it here mostly so that it doesn't get eaten. I am copying it word for word, no edits. It is not particularly accurate for Briticisms and etc., and is nonsensical in some cases, but we loved it to pieces. Please don't take it seriously, it's honestly a gaff that got out of hand. For three years. :D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Marlene is unsure of what her tongue should be doing, Gideon has girl cooties, and little Fabian Prewett still sleeps with Mr. Snooky Bear.

A 14-year-old Gideon Prewett jogged along Salcombe's main street, effectively losing his breath. His legs were hurting (as he had started four blocks away) and he really wanted to stop, but he figured that the park was too close to stop now, and Marlene was probably getting impatient, and that if he _did_ stop, his legs would turn to Jell-o and he would fall flat on his arse.

He crashed through the park gate, still running, blond curls billowing behind him (and in his eyes, ow), spotting Marlene puttering back and forth on the swing set. Gideon tried to slow down, he really did, and put on the brakes just as he got to Marlene; sadly he lost balance and fell face first onto the grass.

Marlene giggled nervously. "A little excited, Gideon?" she asked, trying to inject the usual bravado into her voice. It just came out nervous, though, and she couldn't help but blush as she got out of her swing and helped him to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"Scraped up my knees by the looks of it," Gideon replied, poking his kneecaps gently. They stung, and were bleeding, with little bits of gravel in them. "Otherwise good. And I was late, so. You know. Running."

"You're _such_ a boy, Gideon Prewett," Marlene said mock dramatically and looked down at his knees. "Cor, they're all gooey. Maybe you should go home and clean them up?"

"Nah," Gideon said, waving it off. "It's not like I'm going to die or anything. Anyhow. So. What did you, um. Want to do?"

Now Marlene _really_ blushed. "Well," she said slowly and then looked him in the eye and smiled. She paused only a moment before leaning forward and kissing him quickly on the cheek. "That."

Gideon grinned sheepishly. "You want to... kiss me?" he asked quietly.

"If you laugh at me, Gid, I swear to _God_ I'll punch you right in the nose," Marlene said defensively.

"I wasn't going to laugh," Gideon countered, sticking out his tongue at Marlene.

"Good. Okay," Marlene said and stuffed her hands into her pocket. "So?"

Gideon blinked stupidly again. "Er. I don't know? It was nice? Um... thank you?"

Marlene crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Gideon! You're such a prat! You're supposed to kiss me back."

"I am?" Gideon replied, taken aback and raised his eyebrows. "I, well. I mean. I guess. I. Okay," he finished, his own rambles beginning to confuse him even more. Why did Marlene want him to kiss her? He shook the thought out of his head and moved toward her tentatively, inching a nervous hand around her waist with an, "Um."

Smiling idiotically, Gideon bent down and kissed Marlene as best he could.

Standing there, next to the swing set, Marlene got her very first kiss on the mouth from a boy. That the boy just happened to be Gideon Prewett, Marlene could only credit to her own determined nature. She put her hands around his neck like she'd seen in all the movies and tilted her head to the side, just a little, so their mouths fit together just a little better.

Gideon opened the eyes he had practically glued shut on contact with Marlene's lips. He was kissing a girl. He was kissing Marlene, of all people, one of his best friends, and if Stubby happened to wander into the park at that moment, Gideon was sure he'd have a lot more to worry about then where to put his hands, exactly.

Eventually he broke the kiss, automatically looking at his feet, licking his lips. "Er, uh," he started ineloquently. "Was that okay?"

Marlene nodded, eyes wide. Okay? It had been _wonderful_. "Yeah. But maybe we could have one more go? I think we're supposed to, um, open our mouths."

Gideon's eyes went wide. "You mean... you mean. Tongue kissing?"

Marlene nodded. "I saw it on Mum's soaps. I thought we could try. I mean, who else am I going to try it with? I don't want to do it wrong when it actually counts," she said practically.

"Oh," Gideon muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "So this... this kissing we're doing? It... it doesn't count?"

"Do you want it to count?" she asked carefully, quite aware of how close they were still standing.

Gideon bit his lip, also painfully aware of just how close he was to Marlene's face. "I think... I think that, that. That Stubby would deck me if I said yes," he blurted out.

"Who cares about _Stubby_ ," Marlene said, curling her nose in disgust. "I take it back, you aren't a prat. Stubby is. And if he decks you, then I'll steal all of his video games and sell them to buy paint to turn his tree house pink. Now do you or don't you?"

"I, well," Gideon stuttered. "Er. I guess so," he spat out after a moment, unsure.

Marlene smiled. "Okay then," she said softly and firmly put all thoughts of Stubby out of her mind. "So?"

"Tongues! Right," Gideon said, and leaned forward again.

This kiss started the same as the other one, light, and soft, and okay. Then Marlene started opening her mouth, and Gideon's mind went entirely blank. He blanched, panicked, and then slowly slid his tongue into Marlene's mouth, wondering if he was doing anything remotely right.

Marlene tried to imitate the people from her mother's favourite TV show, but she quickly realized that since the camera couldn't see through skin, she had no idea what to do with her tongue once it was in his mouth. She decided to wing it and just rubbed it against Gideon's. It felt funny and she wasn't sure she liked it, really, but she assumed that once they had some practice, she'd probably enjoy it a lot more.

Gideon made a sort of strangled sound in the back of his throat. Wasn't snogging supposed to feel, um. Good?

Suddenly, there was a loud screeching noise and the two jumped apart to find... Fabian?

"EW! GIDEON HAS GIRL COOTIES!" the 11-year-old screamed at the top of his lungs. "Giddy and Marlene sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Gideon frowned and ran after Fabian, fist balled tightly. "I'm going to hit you, little brother," he growled, while Fabian giggled like mad, darting around him like a deer. "Stay still!"

"Never! I'm going to tell mom you were kissing Marlene!" Fabian laughed as he tore for home, taking a shortcut through a hole in the neighbour's fence that he hoped Gideon was too big for, but not so big that he could jump over the fence.

"Gideon, leave him alone!" Marlene shouted, though it certainly lacked conviction. "We can do something about him later!"

Gideon looked at Fabian, who was mocking him with a 'nyah nyah, you can't catch me' face, then back to Marlene, who looked seriously as though she wanted to do more kissing.

"I'm," Gideon started, then paused, screwing up his face. "I'll see you tomorrow Marlene," he said, and hopped over the fence, tearing after Fabian, who squealed with surprise.

Marlene rolled her eyes and called, "Fine!" before heading in the other direction to her house.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't kill me!" Fabian shouted as he began running again, but now Gideon was practically caught up with him and he was a much faster runner anyway. Fabian didn't stand a chance.

With a snarling sound, Gideon tackled Fabian by the waist, pinning his brother to the ground. "If you tell anyone what you saw," Gideon warned breathlessly, "I'm going to tell everyone in town that you still sleep with Mr. Snooky Bear."

Fabian, though he'd always had a bigger brother who should have toughened him up, was no good at fighting. He was quite aware of this, even at 11. He knew that Gideon would never hurt him too badly, but having his bigger, stronger brother angry and pinning him to the ground scared him. He began wiggling and trying madly to get free. "Let me go! Gid, get off! I didn't mean it, I won't tell, just let me go!" he gasped. "Get OFF!"

"Calm down," Gideon said, and released Fabian, allowing his brother to scramble to his feet. "All right?"

Fabian dusted off his clothes and nodded as he tried to catch his breath. "Yeah. You just scared me," he mumbled. "I didn't want to get contaminated by your cooties," Fabian added, sneering in his annoying, little brother way.

Gideon punched Fabian in the arm. "Shut it, twerp," he said.

Fabian grinned up at his brother and rubbed at his arm where he'd just been punched, singing, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage."


	2. Losing It (April 8th, 1997)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Marlene is naked the majority of the time, Gideon has a penis and tries not to think with it, and, overall, things work out pretty naturally.

It was a Saturday, it was the middle of the afternoon, and Gideon felt as though these simple facts merited Marlene McKinnon the right to be tortured by him. No one else was around (Stubby out of town with his parents, God only knew where Leroy was, and all of his school mates had gone to the cinema and he hadn't any pocket change), so he had rung her up to no avail, figuring that caller-id had gave him away and that Marlene was having him on. She did know him too well, after all, and usually calculated his actions before he'd had a moment to calculate them himself.

He had ran the two streets to her house (cursing his newly acquired addiction to cigarettes on the way, although, realistically, nothing but laziness had him wheezing) and let himself in, hoping up the stairs and pushing the door to her room open spectacularly.

"Hello darling, did you--Oh _shit_ , Kinny! I didn't know you had tits!"

"Gideon!" Marlene screamed, reaching for her recently discarded towel and scrambling to cover herself. Why was he just standing there and staring? "What are you thinking? Get the hell _out_!"

"What?" Gideon asked, his eyes wide, a naughty smirk on his face. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Kinny. _Honestly_ , hiding those dainty little buds from us blokes! That's just _cruelty_!"

Awkwardly wrapping the damp towel around her, pinning it in place with one hand and pushing her dripping wet hair out of her eyes with the other, Marlene glared at him. "I told you to get out. I'm not even wearing anything, you total pervert!"

"I could strip as well, if that'd make you more comfortable," Gideon suggested, reaching for his fly.

"Stop it!" Marlene snapped. She couldn't believe Gideon sometimes. He knew how she felt, and here he was, standing in her room after completely humiliating her and adding salt to the wound by making fun of her. Stepping forward, Marlene pushed on his chest as hard as she could with one hand, shoving him angrily towards the door. "You're such an asshole sometimes, you know that? Get out of my room and go home!"

Gideon pouted. "Aw, Kinny, I didn't mean to make you angry. I came over with the best of intentions." She gave him a look and he said, "Okay, well, maybe not. But seeing you starkers was most certainly not an item on my list."

"Why do you always have to make everything worse?" Marlene asked, stopping in her largely ineffective attempts to get him out the door. She was athletic, but she had to admit that Gideon was quite a lot stronger than her and he outweighed her. Red-cheeked and still irritated, she snapped, "And what's wrong with me starkers?"

"Didn't you just hear me complimenting your tits? There's nothing wrong with you starkers, that's not what I was saying, fuckhead," Gideon said, quirking an eyebrow. "And how does me telling the truth make it worse? I came over to hang out and walked in on you towel-less. Whoop-de-do, get over yourself."

Turning even redder, Marlene just turned around and began to root around for some clothes. She had known Gideon could be conceited, but if he was so in love with himself that he didn't see how getting walked in on naked by her best friend, who also happened to be the person she bloody _liked_ , was possibly a little embarrassing, she thought he definitely needed his ego deflated. Finding some clothes and balling them up to hold in front of her, Marlene turned back around to face Gideon, asking testily, "Are you going to stand there and watch while I get dressed too?"

"Can I?" Gideon countered cheekily.

"No!" Marlene spat, and then frowned and asked, "D'you _want_ to?"

Gideon shrugged, but didn't say anything. The colour rose in his cheeks, and he backed toward the door.

Oh sure. Now he turned red and backed towards the door in terror. Great. Wonderful. Feeling stupid, Marlene muttered, "Gideon Andrew Maxwell Prewett, you are such a prick."

Gideon blinked. "Uh. Why?"

"Because I said so, that's why," Marlene replied, lifting her chin defiantly. "Now are you leaving or not? Mom turned the air conditioning too high again and I'm _cold_."

Gideon bit his lip, looking her up and down. He swallowed, then said, hesitantly, "Do you really... _want_ me to leave?"

Marlene, going from pink to red, just shrugged, watching Gideon with wide eyes. He knew how she felt, he _had_ to know. She thought she'd been stupidly obvious.

"Shrugging isn't much of an answer, Kinny. I should know, I used it a moment ago," he said, smiling.

Marlene smiled back automatically and shrugged again, helplessly. "Well, I don't know. Do you want to stay? If neither of us answers each others questions, we'll just be talking in circles all afternoon and I'll die of frostbite."

Gideon bit his lip. "Call me a pervert and I'll steal your towel, Kin, but, uh. Yea. I'd like to."

"Pervert," Marlene said softly, grinning.

True to his word, Gideon stepped forward, gave the towel a slight tug, and it fell off of Marlene and into his hands.

Blushing, Marlene couldn't help but think she hadn't quite thought that one through. Automatically moving to cover herself with her arms, Marlene shivered and broke out in goose bumps.

Gideon dropped the towel on the floor and closed the space between them, sliding his arms tentatively around her waist. "Don't do that," he said. "You look amazing."

"Oh, shut up," Marlene mumbled, but she was still smiling and she shivered again at his touch even as she leaned into it and hid her face in his shoulder.

Gideon kissed her forehead. "I don't lie, Marlene," he told her, nudged her head with his own trying to get her to look at him without moving his arms from her waist.

"What?" Marlene asked, determinedly not meeting his gaze. This wasn't like her at all. She was usually so outgoing, and it was _just Gideon_. And _just Gideon_ happened to think she looked amazing.

"Look at me, and I'll tell you," he informed her, stubbornly.

Marlene looked into his face, trying to muster up some of her usual cockiness, and said, "There. Now what do you want, Gid?"

He kissed her.

It started off slow, and sensual, and delicate, as though her were afraid he might break her. Then his arms wrapped more tightly around her, and he did what any self-respecting 15-year-old boy did in these sorts of situations: He kissed her harder, and put a hand on her arse.

Marlene kissed him back, and then squeaked as he put his hand on her arse. Pulling away, she laughed nervously and said, "You know, I really don't think it's fair that I'm the only one naked. And I wasn't joking. I'm bloody freezing."

"I offered early and you turned me down," Gideon said.

"Okay. Then I'll just put some clothes on then, shall I?" Marlene asked, disentangling herself from Gideon and reaching for the clothes she'd collected before that had somehow gotten lost in the removing of her towel.

"Hey, hold on now," Gideon said, unbuttoning and unzipping his fly in a hurry, tugging at his trousers.

Laughing and reeling with adrenaline, Marlene sat down on her bed to wait (and watch). She couldn't believe she'd been yelling at him one moment, and now she was totally naked and not even caring. Well, mostly. "Hurry up. My toes are going numb."

In his rush Gideon tripped over his skivvies and landed on the floor, hard on his arse, rather outstandingly. Sitting he pulled his trousers and pants over his ankles (and took off his socks too) and then pulled his shirt over his head. Clamouring to his feet, completely naked, he said, "So, what do you want me to do? Play blanket?"

"Well, actually Mr. Graceful, I was thinking we could both get under the covers," Marlene said, shrugging and trying to sound casual even as she couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at Gideon's penis. She'd never seen one before. She thought vaguely that she should try to explain, but it was distracting. "I don't mean we should... I'm just saying that I'm cold. You know?"

"Oh," Gideon said, not able to mask all his disappointment. He'd thought that this was finally it. And losing it to Marlene was the complete opposite of horrible, and he was sporting a very obvious boner that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Yeah," Marlene said, still distracted and staring. "It's, um, bigger than I thought it would be. No offence," she joked, looking back up at Gideon's face. He didn't look as excited as Marlene thought he ought. "Oh. What's wrong? We don't have to get into bed if you don't want to."

"Well, it's hard," said Gideon distractedly, as there was little blood left in his head. "But, no. I'll get into bed. I will."

Still, he just stood there.

"What's hard? Besides the obvious, that is," Marlene giggled, eyes dropping down again. She couldn't imagine having that inside of her. It would _hurt_. Not that Gideon wanted to sleep with her, of course. Obviously. That's why they were currently both _not_ in bed.

"No, I meant, that's why it seems big. Not that it isn't, just that, because I'm. Well. Er, you get it," he said uncomfortably, still not moving into the bed.

"Right. I see that it's hard. Which is why I'm not, er, entirely sure why you don't want to _do_ something about that," Marlene said, starting to feel unsure again. "I mean, I know I'm no Penelope Taylor or anything, but I thought we'd established you weren't entirely repulsed by me, and so that's how we got _here_ , exactly. But if you've changed your mind or something..."

"Fuck Penelope Taylor," Gideon said. "Not literally, that's not quite what I meant. I meant, she's not what's got me hard, you know, since you're the only _girl_ in the _room_." Gideon frowned. "Just. What are we going and not going to do, exactly?"

"Um. Whatever you don't want to do," Marlene replied tentatively, shrugging and starting to pull her blanket over herself. She _was_ cold, but mostly she was just starting to feel stupid. "I just didn't want you to think I was trying to jump your bones or anything."

Gideon laughed. "That's okay. I didn't want you to think that I was, er. Using you. Or something."

"Using me for what, exactly?" Marlene asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Shaking her head suddenly, she didn't give him time to reply. "God, let's just stop all this stupid talking and _do_ something. Come here. _Now_ , Gid."

Jumping a little at the command, Gideon moved over to the bed and sat down at the edge, still completely and utterly petrified.

"What do you want?" Marlene asked directly, sick of all of this talking in circles.

"I don't know," Gideon said, a little more snappish than he would've liked. "What do _you_ want?"

"Well, I don't know!" Marlene retorted, flopping back onto her bed and covering her face, frustrated. "We're both sitting on my bed _naked_. I can think of things better than yelling at each other!" Taking a deep breath, Marlene added more calmly, "Look, I'm just going to say it. You're my best friend, Gideon. Other things aside, I mean... there isn't really anyone I trust more than you. So whatever you want to do, I'm okay with. Okay? I want it too, even if I don't have a giant you know what pointing that out to you."

Gideon's face turned a million shades of red in an instant, and he felt a bit like a douche bag. Gathering up all his courage, he turned onto his knees and started crawling toward her, chewing on his bottom lip. "You're my best friend too, I'll have you know," he said. "And, um. I know I sound like a complete fucking wank, but, um. I'd... like it to be you."

Moving her hands, Marlene peered up at him. After staring at him for a moment to make sure he wasn't just lying to make her feel better, Marlene smiled shyly and said, "Okay then."

***

Falling back against the pillow, beside Marlene, Gideon realized that not only was he out of breath, but sweaty, and his hair was sticking to his face. He turned his head to look at Marlene, who looked as flushed as he felt, and smiled.

"Erm," he said, awkwardly. "That was. That was..."

Marlene giggled a little hysterically and rolled, burying her face in his chest. "Terrifying!" she replied, speaking--and laughing--into a spot just above his nipple. "I think I'm going to be really sore later."

"Was it that bad?" Gideon asked, suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was completely and utterly naked.

"No!" Marlene said quickly, hoisting herself up on her elbow and grinning down at him. "It was good. Great. Just... Gideon, I can't believe we just had sex!"

Gideon blinked at her. "Yes. Yes, I suppose we did, didn't we? Holy shit, I'm not a virgin anymore!"

"Do you think I'm going to get pregnant? Girls can't get pregnant on their first time, can they?" Marlene asked, her eyes going wide at the very thought. She laid back down, flat on her back and stared straight up at the ceiling. They hadn't thought about that. She couldn't believe they hadn't thought about that. "Oh shit."

"Um, I dunno," Gideon replied. "Maybe. I hope not. Maybe my... my _little fellows_ can't swim very well."

"Your _little fellows_?" Marlene asked, snorting despite herself. The laughter died in her mouth though, and she cleared her throat. She didn't want things to get awkward, but she could feel things getting awkward even as she wanted them not to, and she didn't know what to say. She mostly just really hoped she wasn't pregnant. Girls couldn't on their first time, she was almost sure.

"I didn't want to say... well. It seemed inappropriate," Gideon said, frowning and squirming. He didn't want to think of Marlene being pregnant. Or of having to explain that to his parents… to her parents. God, to himself, for that matter. He squirmed again, resolving to go out and buy a box of condoms the first chance he got, so they wouldn't have to worry about it next time.

 _Next time_. Oh shit. "M-Marlene?" Gideon asked hesitantly. "Are. Are we going to keep doing this?"

Marlene blushed and snuck a look at him. Was he asking because he did want to or because he didn't want to? Should Marlene say yes or no? Well. It didn't matter what she _should_ say. That was stupid. She'd just tell the truth.

"I want to," she said firmly, consciously not tacking on _if you do_. "I mean, there are loads of things we haven't tried yet."

Gideon's eyes went wide in surprise. "Seriously? You really want to... I mean. Are we a. Um. _Couple_? Or do we keep it to ourselves? Because Stubby would probably drown me in a ditch if he found out that we, erm. You know. Had sex together for the first time."

"Stubby is a stupid jerk and he has no right to be an arse to you just because I like you better," Marlene said, but then began to think of how all the guys would react. She could just imagine the looks. She was already set apart from the rest of them for being a girl, but being a girl who'd had sex with Gideon would make them all look at her even more differently. She didn't want them to think of her like that. "I don't know. I guess we're a couple. Sort of. As much as we ever have been. Marlene and Gideon are still Marlene and Gideon. But you know the guys are going to be stupid about it. They always are about stuff like this."

Gideon agreed. They'd look at Marlene like she had 10 heads, and then as soon as she left, would start asking Gideon what the sex was like. He frowned. "So we're like a secret couple?"

"Yeah. I guess so," Marlene said, starting to smile. "You don't get beat up by Stubby, and I don't have to deal with the guys being even more stupid than usual. I think being a secret couple is a good idea."

"Okay," Gideon agreed. "If that's what you want. But, I mean. For the record, I'm going to think of you as my girlfriend. And we don't need to date other people, do we?"

"Gideon Prewett, you _romantic_ ," Marlene teased, kissing him shyly and adding, "Well, if I'm going to be your girlfriend, you might as well be my boyfriend. And you just try and date someone else. I'll eat her for breakfast, then spit her back out again and eat her for lunch, too."

They clear sound of the front door closing startled them both, then, and Marlene froze as she heard her father call, "Marlene, sweetie? We're home and we've brought some of Mrs. Jones' best pastries if you want some. And Hestia says hello! You aren't still in bed, are you honey?"

Gideon made a face. "I'm going to have to put my trousers back on, aren't I?"

"Yes! And bloody hurry!" Marlene hissed, scrambling out of bed and struggling into a bra and underwear before opening her door to call up the hallway, "No, I'm up! Gideon's over. We were just... um, he was going to help me rearrange my room again, but we decided it's too nice a day to be indoors. Be down in a second!"

"What'd you tell them I was here for?" Gideon complained under his breath, dropping to the floor to find his pants. "I could've gone out the window!"

"Oh, yeah, and have to face them alone? How gallant of you," Marlene whispered fiercely as she picked a random t-shirt and her favourite jeans off the floor, putting them on. "Do I _look_ like I've just had sex? Put your shirt on."

"Your hair looks retarded," Gideon answered, tugging his trousers up and then reaching for his shirt. "And how do you look as though you've just had sex, exactly? I mean, do I look as though I've just had sex?"

"I don't know!" Marlene retorted, and then cast a worried look at the door, like her raised voice was going instantly draw her parents' attention, even though her and Gideon argued so much they'd probably be _more_ suspicious about the silence. Marlene grabbed a hair elastic off her dresser and ran her fingers through her messy hair, giving up on the third snag and reaching for her brush. After a moment of struggling, Marlene managed to pull her shoulder length hair back and up, brushing the shorter bits in front out of her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Okay. We have to calm down. We're fine, right? Fine. Let's just go grab some pastries and then make a break for the back door."

"Where are we going to go, exactly?" Gideon asked, shaking his hair so that it wasn't quite as stuck to his head. "And you know what I'm like when it comes to hiding something, fuck, it'll be written all over my face!"

"So don't look at anyone," Marlene commanded, digging her fingernails into his arm and pulling him from the room. "We'll go to your house. We can bring Fay a pastry too, and he'll do anything for us. Or we can just go hang out by the ferry docks and throw rocks in or something. I don't _care_ as long as we aren't here."

Coming around the corner, Marlene almost ran right into her mother. "Oh, there you are dear. The pastries are on the kitchen table. You two look all red, are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine. Just got tired trying to push my bed around is all," Marlene said. "Gid and I are going to go out. I'll call if I'll be late, okay?"

"You're too young to be gallivanting around at all times of night, Marlene," came her father's voice from the other room.

"I said I'd call, Dad! And don't worry, Gid'll keep me safe," she said. The argument about her independence was already an old one at fifteen.

To Marlene's surprise, her mother reached forward and patted Gideon's cheek. "And how glad we are for that, aren't we? Now you two go on and enjoy the sunshine. It is Saturday, after all."

Gideon, if possible, turned even redder at Mrs. McKinnon's praise, and, looking at his feet, smiled sheepishly. He doubted that she'd be as pleased that he was there if she knew what they'd just done. That he'd _deflowered_ her _daughter_. Her father would probably punch him in the head.

"Mom," Marlene said, pushing her mother's hand away. Her mother looked confused, and Marlene just shrugged. "Well, look at him. You're embarrassing him. Come on, Gid. Let's go."

And with that, Marlene grabbed _all_ the pastries off the counter and pulled Gideon towards the back door, ignoring her mother's admonition that she was being greedy. Marlene needed some sugar. As the door banged shut behind, them, Marlene sighed and headed out around the side of the house.

"Where do you want to go?"

Gideon chewed on his lip. "I dunno. We could go to my house, I suppose. Molly's out with Arthur, and Fabian is banging around with that twitchy Elphias kid. And my parents are gone for the weekend, celebrating their 'second honeymoon'. Or we could go throw rocks."

Marlene stuffed a pastry in her mouth and offered one to Gideon, talking around her food as she answered. "Rocks. I don't feel like seeing your little brother right now. He's too nosy."

Gideon took a bite out of his pastry. "Rocks it is then," he said, and the two turned down the street in the direction of the closest body of water.

***

**Several Months Later**

Marlene had just turned sixteen. After her party had ended, everyone had gone home and she'd gone up to bed a few hours later, content and excited. It had been a good day, but it would be an even better night. She didn't even wait half an hour to make sure her parents really were asleep before she'd climbed out of her window and ran all the way to Gideon's house. Now here she was, lying in his bed with him contemplating turning sixteen, both of them naked and breathing heavily.

It had been months since it had all started with her and Gideon, and Marlene couldn't imagine stopping. But something wasn't right. Sure, maybe she was a tomboy and would pick football over shopping any day, but she did sort of want a romance every now and again. Someone who would buy her flowers and chocolates and show her off to his friends.

"Would you ever do something cheesy like buy a bunch of candles and sprinkle rose petals everywhere, Gid?" Marlene asked sleepily.

Gideon yawned. "The real question here, is, 'Kinny, do you want me to set my room on fire with an arse load of candles and throw rose petals about like a fairy'?"

"So that's a no, huh?" Marlene asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

"I'll do it if that's what you want," Gideon answered.

"Yeah, but what do you want?" Marlene asked evasively. Was she testing him?

"Marlene," he said testily; he rarely called her Marlene unless he was irritated by her. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth, Gid," she said softly, trying to not start an argument for once. "I just want to know what _you_ want. I already know what I want."

Gideon sighed. "The truth about what, exactly?" he asked, confused. "About candles and rose petals? About sex? About this thing we're doing?"

"All of the above," Marlene said, curling in a little closer and wrapping her arms around him more tightly.

Blanching for a moment, Gideon ran a hand through his hair. He knew how he felt about Marlene. But could he tell _her_ how he felt? Could he admit that he loved her, and that, well… that he hated hiding everything from everyone when all he wanted to do was hold her hand in public, kiss her for no reason... _smell_ her _hair_? He swallowed. "Well, it's more than just shagging," he started slowly. "It always has been."

"How much more?" Marlene asked cautiously, wondering what he'd say. Maybe Gideon did like her enough to want to make it all public. Or maybe he didn't want to talk about what it meant because he knew it meant more to her than it did to him?

Gideon frowned. She seemed so... reserved about it all. Like she was afraid he thought of her as more than just someone to sleep with. "I," he started cautiously. "A lot more, I guess," he said, a little scared by her tones and actions.

"Cryptic, as usual," Marlene sighed sadly, taking his lack of a concrete response to mean a lack of commitment and lack of interest. She closed her eyes and didn't move from his side, thinking that if he didn't want more at least she could have this. He seemed to like it when they did this. At least Marlene hadn't embarrassed herself by telling him she'd loved him or something stupid like that.

"What do you mean by that?" Gideon asked, defensively. "You wanted to know what I thought, and that's what I think. I like you quite a lot more than a fuck buddy!"

"Don't yell at me. It's my birthday," Marlene said absently, wondering what he meant by that. Wondering how this would all turn out. Things had been fine until she'd brought it up, and if everything ended because of it... well. She wished she could just take it back and hang onto her sure thing. She didn't like the idea of _not_ having Gideon, even if how she had him now was only sort of halfway.

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Kin, be honest with me instead of dancing around, trying to make me answer questions that I can never seem to find the right answer to, because this is ridiculous."

Feeling stubborn, Marlene replied, "What do you want me to be honest about? You haven't asked me any questions."

"Oh for fucks' sake," Gideon said angrily, shuffling upward into a sitting position. "You are making me _insane_ , Marlene."

Jarred by his sudden movements, Marlene propped herself up on one elbow and looked up at him defensively. "Oh, am I? Why don't you just break up with me then?"

Gideon looked at her as though he'd been socked in the stomach. "Is that why you're here then? You're not interested in this anymore, but you don't want to be the bad guy, so you're trying to irritate me into doing the dirty work?"

"No," Marlene replied, looking down. "I'm interested. I've always been interested. But I... Gideon, I want more than this. This is _stupid_. I mean, at first it seemed to make sense not to tell anyone, but I don't get why we're hiding it anymore. I don't want to. I'm sixteen now. I'm allowed to date people. And I want to. And if you don't want to, then I'll find someone else, because even if I don't want anyone else, I don't want you if you don't want me."

Gideon quirked an eyebrow at her, slightly bemused and trying not to laugh. "So this is about you not thinking that this is a mutual thing?"

"Yes! And don't laugh at me or I'll push you off your own bed," Marlene snapped.

"Now, now," Gideon said, and then, looking at her determined sort of expression, couldn't help himself and burst into giggles.

True to her word, Marlene reached out and shoved him as hard as she could.

Gideon grabbed her arm as he lost his balance, and fell to the floor with a thump, bringing Marlene down on top of him. He grinned.

"You told me to be honest and then you _laugh_ at me. Real nice, Gid," Marlene grumbled, shifting on top of him uncomfortably. It didn't seem like he was laughing at what she'd said, in particular, but he still hadn't really replied and she felt weird having all of her stuff out there when he still hadn't said anything, as usual. She shifted into a sitting position, straddling his stomach and crossing her arms over her chest to hide her nakedness a little. "So?"

"You really want me to be honest, Kinny?" Gideon asked.

"Yes, you dense sod!" Marlene exclaimed, exasperated. "What else do I have to fucking _say_ to convince you to just tell me how you bloody feel already?"

Gideon was still smiling broadly. "Fine," he said. "Here it is then. Marlene Yvonne McKinnon, in all the ridiculous honesty that you insist I address: I'm pretty fucking sure that I'm in love with you."

The breath went out of Marlene in a _whoosh_ and she blinked down at him, her eyes broad and her mouth forming a shocked, silent 'O'. After a moment, Marlene's face melted and she dropped her arms, leaning down to bury her face in the crook of his shoulder and neck.

He loved her.

"You big stupid oaf. Why do you make me worry so much when you've got little bombs like that to drop? Oh, I love you too, I love you too, I love you _more_ ," Marlene said, feeling ridiculously happy and maybe like she'd cry. She'd always thought it was so stupid when kids as young as her claimed to be in love--what did teenagers know about love?--but her and Gideon were different. It was real with them.

"No 'darling' or 'sweetheart' or 'honey bear' for Gideon Prewett," he said, squished by the pressure of Marlene's face on his neck. "Oh, no," he continued. "I'm a bomb-dropping oaf, I am."

"A big, _stupid_ , bomb-dropping oaf, don't forget," Marlene said before lifting her face and kissing him. "This is the best birthday _ever_."

Gideon snorted, but then his face softened. "I want to tell people, you know. I always want to, every time I look at you at school."

"How come you never said anything to me about it then?" Marlene asked, her voice gentle and curious.

"I dunno," he replied honestly. "I just thought that maybe it had just become a sex thing. Or that you wouldn't want everyone else to know that we were together. Like _really_ together."

"It was never just a sex thing for me," Marlene said, and then paused thoughtfully. "And I want to tell everyone too. I want to be able to hold hands at school and stuff. I don't care if the guys _do_ look at me weird, I want the whole world to know. Oh, except maybe family. I mean, they'd never leave us alone then, you know?"

"Fabian and Mum would torture me relentlessly," Gideon agreed. "So it's official then? We brave the scorn and Stubby's inevitable pounding in of my face?"

"Yeah. Yes. Though it sounds like I'm getting off better than you in this whole situation. Maybe I can talk to Stubby," Marlene said diplomatically. "I like your face how it is. You'd look funny with an inverted nose. And if I show him my boobs, he'd probably promise me anything."

Gideon scowled. " _Don't_ show him your boobs."

"Oh, that's right. My boobs belong to you now, and soon everyone will know," Marlene teased, smiling, and kissed Gideon again. "Want to get back into bed?"

"If by 'Want to get back into bed?' you actually mean, 'Ravage me, Gideon, please!' then yes," he answered, grinning lopsidedly.

Climbing off Gideon, Marlene crawled onto the bed and only blushed a little as she dramatically gasped, "Ravage me, Gideon, please!"

Gideon sprang to action, hoping upward and diving on top of Marlene. "Brace yourself, my dear," he said in mock seriousness. "For my member, it throbs, _hugely_ , longing to explore your feminine depths."

"You are _such a dork_!" Marlene laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "How is it that I love someone as lame as you?"

"Sheer luck on my part," Gideon said, nuzzling behind her ear and kissing her lightly.

Unable to think of a suitably cute way to reply, and still feeling so full with happiness she thought she might soon be overcome, Marlene just grinned up at him and wiggled her hips.

"Well? I was told there would be ravaging going on. Hop to it, Gid."

Gideon brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly, mumbling, "I love you," against her mouth.

And even as Marlene whispered, "I love you too", she couldn't help but focus on the future. She was going to have a boyfriend, the kind of boyfriend she wanted, and it was going to be Gideon. _And_ she got to have sex twice in one night.

It really _was_ the best birthday ever.


	3. Meeting Lily (August 14th, 1999)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there is baptizing, bible thumping, and a rather active goat.

James and Sirius darted through the crowd, their eleven-year-old minds positively gleeful at the prospect of an entire afternoon without parental supervision, even if they were surrounded by all sorts of bible thumping, do-good, God happy freaks. The sun was high in the sky and it was a hot summer day. All around them were smiling groups of children, all ages, and smatterings of adults. Some were singing, some were praying, some were listening to men in stiff collars preach loudly. There were banners and flags and it was all very loud and happy and would have been quite fun if it weren't so annoyingly religious, James thought. It wasn't as though James himself minded it too much, but Sirius thought it was all very stupid and sometimes it put him in a bad mood

"Hey, hey Sirius. We should go swimming in the lake," James said, pointing down at the water where currently, there was a woman being baptized. "We could be born again!" he added, letting out a high-pitched giggle and elbowing Sirius in the side.

"Born again. Right. Thrilling," Sirius replied, glancing at the baptisms. "British children for Jesus and all that." He looked around. "There has to be something worth doing here. That's _not_ going to put me right in God's eyes I mean."

"We could buy gum and chew it and spit it in girls' hair," James suggested idly, looking around at all the unfamiliar faces. Though he'd never met any of these people before, there was something strangely uniform about them.

Sirius honestly despised these things. He went partially because of James but mostly because his mother made him. He was a 'demon child' of some description, and since his family was about as obsessively bible thumping as it got, Sirius often found himself in situations where all he wanted to do was gouge out his eyes.

"I guess," he replied, and sighed restlessly. "Or throw spitballs at them or something. How about, er..." Sirius was straining for something entertaining now. "We could, uh, I don't know."

James would have answered but before he could, his brain soundly and thoroughly shut off. James saw red, literally. Long red hair on the most outstanding girl he'd ever seen. Not that James liked girls, he was only eleven and they still had cooties, but this girl, _this_ girl. There was just something about her. She wasn't part of the uniform mass of strangers, she was something else. She was something different.

"Sirius," James hissed, tugging Sirius' shirtsleeve as he stared at the girl standing a few feet away. "Sirius, look at her. Will you just _look_? Who do you think that is?"

Sirius turned his head slowly and surveyed the red-haired girl. "Does she have enough hair?" He asked, having noticed that the red mass ended just below her arse. She looked displeased with something, Sirius thought, and rather like she would hit anyone who dared speak to her. "And I don't know who she is. I've never seen her before."

"Let's go talk to her. I want to talk to her," James said decisively and took a few steps towards her, quickly turning around and walking back to Sirius, rubbing a hand through his already messy hair. "What do I say? What should I say?"

"I won't be your friend anymore," Sirius replied and punched James in the arm. "Come to your senses. If you must bother her, pick on her at least. Don't like, I don't know, kiss her or something."

James turned red and seemed about to protest that at least he wasn't _that_ crazy. Instead, his face deepened to purple and he said, "I hate you. Because now I want to. Okay. Let's do something terrible to her instead. Maybe then I'll go all back to normal."

He looked again at this girl and all her oodles of red hair. It made him feel a bit warm and stupid and not at all like any self-respecting eleven-year-old boy should. Stupid girls.

"I'm all for terrible," Sirius replied with a grin. "And it has to be something horrid Jamie, or you'll want to grow up and marry her. And we can't have that." He racked his brain for something horrible and disgusting that, if they were lucky, would throw the girl into hysterics.

After having been red and then purple, James was shocked at his sudden sway to green. "What if she cries? No. No. It's good if she cries. Okay. What's the plan, Sirius?"

"What do goats eat?" Sirius asked suddenly, eyeing the petting zoo with a mischievous grin.

"Grass," James said, shrugging, too preoccupied with this _girl_ to catch on as he usually would. "And those pellet things you can buy. Why?"

Well," Sirius replied, diabolical thoughts churning in his mind, "we could put pellets in her pockets, couldn't we? And set the goat free. And then see what happens."

James nodded absently, still watching the girl. He had a feeling he'd be watching her forever. "Okay. Sounds great."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come on then you great berk, we've got to get the goat and the pellets." He grabbed James by the collar and pulled him in the direction of the petting zoo. He had a mate to save from the evil clutches of the female gender. Such was the road to sickening unhappiness, he knew. His mother was proof of that.

James followed along after Sirius, feeling a bit more back to normal once they were out of sight range from the girl. The two of them stuffed their pockets with pellets and got into position. "So. All right then. Who's to let the goat out and who's to go stuff her pockets?" James asked. "I'll stuff her pockets," he offered quickly. "Can I?"

"No," Sirius replied. "Your mind is too weak, like that show on the telly where the bloke loses all that money because the bird is wearing a really small shirt. I'll put the pellets in her pocket, and I'll call out to you when I want you to let the goat loose. Sound good?"

"You're right. Thanks, thanks mate. Okay, go!" James said, standing by the gate and keeping the goat interested with a pellet every so often. He could still see that bright red head whenever people would shift out of the way.

Sirius approached the redheaded girl carefully, a little bit afraid of what she might do to his face if he came too close. "Hello," he said awkwardly, standing right beside her so he had easy access to her pocket.

She looked at him quizzically. "Hello," she replied slowly and surveyed him with confusion.

"I'm Sirius," he said, his hand moving slowly to her pocket.

"I'm Lily," she replied. "What do you want?" She was suspicious of his actions and didn't trust the odd way he had approached her. Boys were not, as a rule, trustworthy.

Sirius slid the pellets into her pocket, and didn't reply. "JAMES!" He yelled, and turned to run in the opposite direction.

James flung the gate open and ran towards Lily, pellets in hand to lure the goat. As soon as he got close enough, he tossed the pellets at her red hair and ran over to where Sirius was laughing on the ground. James watched as the goat started towards Lily, waiting for her reaction.

Lily jumped in surprise, mostly when she discovered that some sort of animal pellets had been thrown in her hair. She was about to throw a very dirty look in the direction of the two laughing boys when she spotted a very disgruntled goat headed in her direction.

"Oh dear," she said, and turned running in the direction of the lake.

Sirius was nearly sick with amusement, having laughed so hard that his sides were threatening to explode. "Ha ha!" He managed with difficulty, as he suspected there was no air left in his lungs. "Goat!"

James let out a few half-hearted laughs and then frowned down at Sirius. "It's not working. We have to do something else. Something more horrible. I want to go help her, Sirius," James whined, staring after her as she ran from the goat. He actually took a step towards her. "Sirius, quick. Think of something else we can do!"

"Jamie, we just set a goat on her. I don't know about girls, but I certainly wouldn't want a goat chasing me. Perhaps we need to go eat something. Or something. Eh?" Sirius was bent over, grasping his sides and tried to stand, but started laughing again when the Lily-girl started calling for her mum.

James shot a look at Sirius doubled over on the grass and then took off at a dead run for the girl. He reached her in seconds, pulling the pellets out of her pocket and throwing them in the other direction so the goat would go after them. He turned to face her, shoving his hands in his pockets and offering a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. My friend and me thought it'd be funny. Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

Lily looked mutinous. "Thanks really. Nothing brightens up your day quite like being chased by a goat. Hilarious. Who are you anyway?" She was picking pellets out of her hair and tossing them toward the goat, while passers-by stared between them with confusion.

James blushed dark red and tried not to think of what his mum would said if she knew what James had just done. He reached forward and pulled out a pellet stuck in her hair nearest to her face.

"Um. I'm James. James Potter. Pleasure to meet you," he mumbled, sticking his hand out to shake hers after chucking the pellet over his shoulder.

"Lily Evans," she replied, shaking his hand politely, though tempted to deck him in the face. "Why exactly would you think me being chased by a goat would be funny? You don't even know me." Lily surveyed James with mixed interest, wondering why he looked both shy and ashamed. Perhaps the other boy had convinced him to do it.

James squeaked and said out loud, "Because you're different." Realizing what had just come out of his mouth, he let out a laugh that was a bit too loud and seemed to be trying to hide behind it. He was really quite glad she hadn't hit him yet.

Lily looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "What was that?"

"You know," James said, scuffing his toe into the sandy dirt. They were quite near the lake, after all, and the ground was damp enough to draw a small line. "You're different. Not like everyone else. I can tell."

Lily was about to reply when she spotted the Sirius-boy approaching and wearing a very evil-looking grin. She wasn't sure if she liked him at all. "Your friend is coming over," she acknowledged. "Do you think he'll apologize as well, or put more pellets in my pockets?"

"Oi! James!" Sirius called from a distance, determined to save his mate before he was forever overtaken by the magic and control of the female species.

James felt a flash of panic as he turned to see Sirius walking towards them. "Oh. Hah. I don't think he'll apologize," James said, turning back to Lily. He took a deep breath and stepped towards her. "I like you. Before he gets here, I wanted to say," he said and then squeezed his eyes shut and kissed her on the cheek.

Lily blanched. She was being kissed. By a boy. "What are you doing?" She heard herself say, and without a second thought she grabbed James' shoulders and pushed him toward the lake with all the force she could muster.

Sirius had stopped dead when he realized what James had done, but actually found himself laughing when Lily pushed him into the lake. "Good show James," he said as he approached Lily, grinning.

James fell into the cold water with an impressive splash and a great deal of flailing and shouting. Eventually he struggled to his feet, soaked head to toe.

"What was that for?" he asked loudly, glaring at Lily and Sirius alternately.

Sirius merely laughed, but Lily smirked triumphantly. "I didn't say you could kiss me," she replied arrogantly, and walked away without another word.

"I think you struck out," Sirius said, watching Lily leave.

"Shut up, Sirius," James pouted, walking out of the lake, shoes squeaking wetly. "I hate girls. I hate them. Especially that one."

James, at this particular moment, didn't care if that was a lie or not.


	4. Oh. My. God. (August 23rd, 1999)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Gideon's pretzels mysteriously vanish, Fabian has someone's hand down his pants, and there is a severe lack of mud eating. Tragic.

Fabian, at the tender age of fifteen, had discovered something wonderful. That wonderful something just happened to be all of the things his best mate Elphias Doge could do with his hands. So after a morning spent playing video games and waiting for his parents to go out, Fay and Elf were now in Fay's room, on Fay's bed, taking advantage of an empty house.

Fabian ground his thin hips against Elf's, the music covering any moans either boy might be making. Fay wound one hand into Elf's short hair and gasped as he slid his hand inside the waistband of Fay's pyjama pants. He arched his back, leaning into the touch and throwing his head back at the same time, fisting his other hand in his bed sheets.

He felt Elphias' mouth on his neck, and then his teeth, and he threw one leg out, hooking it around Elf's. This was something wonderful indeed.

In the kitchen, rummaging about in the cupboards, Gideon groaned. There were no damn pretzels left out of the large sized bag he had bought the night before. Pretzels he had been saving for that night, when he and his mates were going to watch a movie. Pretzels he hadn't even had one of. An empty bag sat in the garbage, and a crumb filled bowl sat on the counter. He frowned.

For starters, Gideon decided as he headed toward the stairs, you don't mess with Gideon Prewett when he's spent the afternoon at the market, having his arse pinched by the old biddies after they've rambled out their soaps for an hour, _after_ asking you about three times where they can find the dairy. Secondly, he thought, swinging on the banister and hopping up the steps two at a time, you don't eat pretzels found in the cupboard with 'GIDEON' written on them in permanent marker. Lastly, he finished, face flushed with anger as he turned down the hall toward Fabian's room, you DO NOT leave the evidence where your 18-year-old brother can find it, when you're at home, and he can pound the shit out of you.

Such were Gideon's intentions, of course.

Turning the knob with purpose, Gideon started saying, "Fay, you little wank, I'm going to..." He stopped. He stared. Fay and... and _another boy_ stared back in horror. Gideon's mouth dropped open in shock, pretzels forgotten entirely, line of vision completely unable to detach itself from the hand in Fabian's pants.

"Oh, fuck," he said, and backed out of the room without another word, shutting the door behind him.

As the door clicked shut, Fabian quickly disentangled himself from Elphias. He got off the bed and shut off the music--it was too fucking loud anyway--and stared alternately between the boy still laying before him breathing heavily and at the now latched door.

"Please tell me that was a hallucination? That it wasn't actually my brother?" Fabian asked desperately. "Fuck, _please_ tell me it wasn't, because I'm pretty fucking sure my brother just _walked in on us_..."

"Fay, relax," Elphias finally said, scrambling across the bed, kicking off the blankets that had gotten tangled around him, and getting to his feet. He picked nervously at a mosquito bite on his arm for a moment before looking up into Fabian's face. "It isn't any of his business, right?"

Fabian closed his eyes at the words, leaning back against the wall and slamming his head intentionally hard into the surface. "I think it just became his business, Elf, because he _saw_ us."

When Fay lifted his head and slammed it back again, Elphias reached forward and none too gently pulled Fabian away from the wall by his arm. "Stop it. Look, if it gets bad, just avoid him for a few days. You can crash at my place, if you want. But I think, well. I should go and you should talk to him."

"I don't want to," Fabian whined, but Elf had already begun collecting his clothes. Fabian sighed and got dressed too, and it was only a few moments before he was walking him to the door.

"Good luck," Elf said and squeezed his shoulder, turning and jogging across their lawn.

Fabian shut the door and leaned his head against it, not caring to watch him leave. After he thought he couldn't really delay it anymore, he walked into the living room where Gideon was sitting on the couch and looking rather shell shocked. Fabian flopped unceremoniously into their father's recliner across from the couch and hugged his knees to his chest.

"I thought you were working until two," Fabian mumbled, not looking at his brother.

Gideon ran a hand through his hair, and was looking at his feet. "Let me off early," he said gruffly, then swallowed. He didn't really know what to say. What is it that you say to your little brother when you walk in on his with another bloke's hand down his pants? Was there an appropriate sort of saying? Did they make greeting cards for such occasions?

After a long, awkward silence, Gideon looked up at Fabian and blinked. Eloquent as always, he said, "What the fuck did I just see?"

Fabian shifted uncomfortably in his chair. That wasn't exactly what Fabian had been hoping for and panic quickly set in. What if Gideon hated him now? What if things never, ever went back to how they had been? They hadn't talked in months, it felt like, and now there was this and everything would just keep getting weirder and weirder and maybe Fay could get away with denying it. Of course, he knew Gideon wasn't stupid. He wouldn't buy something like, _He dropped a pretzel down there, that's all_. Fabian swallowed around the nervous, nauseous feeling in his stomach, but it was quickly rising to his chest and he wondered if anyone had every puked out of sheer embarrassment before.

"None of your business, really," he mumbled finally, his heart beating loudly in his ears. He just hoped Gideon would leave it. It would be different if they were as close as they had been last year, but they weren't and now Fay didn't know what to expect from him.

" _Fabian_ ," Gideon began testily, rubbing his temples. "You can't bull shit me. How long...? I mean." He shook his head. "How long have you known?"

Fabian shrugged and scowled at his knees. "A while," he answered evasively.

" _Fabian_ ," Gideon warned again, teetering on the line between yelling and remaining patient.

"Fuck, I don't know! A couple months? Half a year, maybe? A long time, all right? What do you want me to say, Gid?" Fay snapped defensively. He couldn't read Gideon, he couldn't tell what he was thinking, and it made him nervous.

Gideon looked up in alarm at the tone of Fabian's voice. Fabian never spoke like that. Fabian was calm, reserved. Certain about everything. "I... I mean," Gideon said quietly. "I don't know. Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

Fabian shrugged again, swallowing around a lump in his throat brought on by Gid's tone. "You've been too busy doing adult things that I can't do. We haven't talked in months. When exactly was I supposed to tell you?" he asked, trying in vain to keep his voice from shaking as he shot a reproachful look at his brother.

Gideon sighed. He hadn't realized. He'd noticed, vaguely, but had really attributed their drifting apart to different interests. "I can't help that I'm older than you Fay," he said.

"I _know_ that. I'm not stupid," Fabian replied, sinking lower into his chair and wishing he hadn't said anything.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around," Gideon said quietly, still not sure what exactly to make of the situation.

"If I could do whatever I wanted like you could, I wouldn't be around either," Fay said, trying not to sound too bitter. "I mean, little brothers lose their charm after a few years, I suppose."

Gideon looked at Fabian sadly. "Fabian, you're no less important to me than you were last year, or the year before that," he said. "You started going around with Elphias more, though that's a little more understandable now, and I went out with my mates. I mean. All I can say is that I'm sorry."

Fabian nodded and turned his face away from his brother to stare at the wall, not trusting himself to keep it together. "You don't hate me or anything then? I mean, for. Well. Elf?" he asked softly.

Gideon frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would I hate you?"

"Some people would," Fabian said bluntly, shrugging.

"What?" Gideon questioned, apprehensive. "You think I'm a bigot or something?"

"No," Fabian answered. "I was just worried."

"Fabian, look at me," Gideon demanded.

Fabian sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before turning his head to the other side and looking nervously at his brother. "What?"

"I don't give a shit," Gideon said. "I mean, I do. Just not in a way that makes me want to never speak to you again. Understand? Shag whoever the hell you want."

"Oh," Fabian said, nodding. The burning, nauseous sensation had faded a bit before, but now it subsided entirely and he felt some tension he hadn't even noticed was there leave his rigid muscles. "Thanks. But I haven't. Shagged anyone, I mean."

Gideon smiled wryly. "Well. When you decide to, shag whoever you want. How about that?"

"Okay," Fabian agreed. Then, more tentatively, he gestured to the controllers lying on the floor and suggested, "I'll race you?"

Gideon grinned. "You've never beaten me yet, little brother."

"I've been practicing," he said, and then chanced a mischievous smile. "Elf and I have to do _something_ when the parental units are home."

"What? You've never fooled around while mum and dad are home? Pfft," Gideon said, seating himself on the floor and picking up a controller. "Claire Parsons and I shagged in the hallway closet while mum was in the kitchen making casserole last week."

"Cor," Fabian said, sounding quite awed as he settled down next to his brother. "Brave. Brilliant. Daft as all hell, too." He watched as Gideon selected the California race track (Fabian _always_ missed the hairpin turn on that one) and then added, "You're really cool, Gid."

"Why?" Gideon asked. "Because I shagged in the linen closet?"

"No," Fay said, rolling his eyes and elbowing his brother in the ribs. "Well, maybe a bit. But mostly just because. I mean, thanks."

Gideon nodded with a smile. "You're welcome." The green light flicked on the screen and Gideon hit the accelerator. "Are you going to tell mum and dad?" he asked.

Fabian scowled and tried to catch up to his brother, having gotten a late start. His question, however, startled him even more and he ignored his brother for a moment until they hit a straight stretch. He already knew he'd lose, but he didn't much mind, really. He always lost to Gid, after all, and he was happy just to hang out with him again.

"Of course not," he said after a moment. "Are you going to tell them you fuck girls in the linen closet?"

"That's a bit of a different situation, I think," Gideon said. "Mum's caught me shagging more than once. Same with Dad. I don't really need to tell them anything."

"Well, they haven't yet caught me doing anything, probably because I don't take so many risks as you do," he said pointedly. "And I don't think I really need to tell them anything either. You aren't going to, are you?"

"It's not my place to," Gideon said calmly, passing the finish line. "But I think you should. Not right now, maybe, but eventually. Or Mum's going to be harping on you about grandkids."

"I'm only sixteen, Gid. I've got a few years before _that_ I think," Fabian snickered.

Gideon turned to his brother and raised an eyebrow, smiling. "The first time mum walked in on me with a bird, I was fifteen. You know what she said to me? Not 'Be safe, Giddy,' not, 'God will smite you, Giddy.' Oh no. She said, 'I assume you're using protection Gideon. Though if you're not, and she gets pregnant, I wouldn't mind taking care of the grandkids.'"

For a moment this made Fabian smile--their family really was nutters--but then he sighed a bit, losing his second race to Gideon too. "She's going to be really disappointed in me, isn't she?"

Gideon chewed on his lip. "No," he said, after a moment. "I really don't think so. You're her _baby_ , Fabian. Her love is unconditional. Besides, if she can walk into my room with fresh laundry, see me shagging a bird from behind, and still love me, then I really wouldn't be worried." Gideon smirked. "I'm honestly surprised she still lets me in the house."

"What can she do about it? You know how she is. She'll take you as you are rather than not taking you at all," Fabian quipped, and then paused. "Oh. Guess that's what you mean, huh?"

Gideon nodded. "Precisely what I mean, Fay."

"Well. Maybe I will," he said noncommittally. "Hey, I'm catching up to you. Only two cars between us now, Gid."

"Yea, yea," Gideon said dismissively as he whipped around a corner. "The day you beat me, Fay, is the day I eat mud."

Fabian grinned as Gid's tires spun out a bit on the last sharp corner, just like Elphias' had last time they played. He bumped past him on the inside and managed to beat him across the finish line by a few fractions of a second. He turned smugly to Gideon and said, "What was that? I think you best go turn the hose on out back and make yourself a nice little mud pie, big brother."

"Bull shit!" Gideon exclaimed, shocked. It was the first time his brother had beaten him at anything. Dropping the controller, Gideon turned and lunged, catching Fabian in a headlock and starting giving him a noogie. "I shall not be defeated!" he exclaimed, grinning, as Fabian's hair began getting static-y from the friction.

"Ow!" Fabian shouted, laughing, his hands flying up to pinch Gideon's sides. "Geroff, you bully!"

Gideon started laughing as well, fighting to keep his hold on Fabian by pinning him to the ground. "The big brother always wins!" he declared.

"Not _always_ ," Fabian grunted, but knew that he couldn't match Gideon in a fight. He frowned up at his brother, hardly even trying to get free anymore, and then smirked. "You still have to eat mud."

Letting go, Gideon stuffed his fingers in his ears. "La, la, la, I'm not listening!" he chanted loudly.

Fabian laughed and pushed his brother off of him. He beat him at the races three more times that afternoon (out of a lot more than Fabian cared to count), but it was enough to put a smile on Fay's face, at least. Maybe he didn't have so long to go before he was 'grown up' afterall.


	5. The Order of Sparkles? (September 8th, 1999)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Gideon is the inspiration, Fabian is the pretty one, and Prewett Brothers and Co. come to fruitition.

"I'm so _sick_ of this," Fabian moaned.

He and Gideon had just found out about the first department store for Vol de Mort Fashions going up where a famous old building was still standing, and despite the plans to tear down a heritage building, the Kingsbridge Conservation Society had sent them an email telling them there was nothing they could do. Somehow, Riddle had found a loophole, and there was nothing that the Conservation office could legally do.

"There's never anything we can do. It's completely ridiculous," Fabian continued. "Nothing ever gets accomplished through all this red tape!"

Gideon frowned. "It's the Kingsbridge office that's the fucking problem," he said irritably, scratching at his head. "All they do is fucking dance around the problems! 'There's nothing we can do, sorry' is the same stale answer we always get from those fucks."

He was speaking more out of anger over Riddle than of disrespect for the Kingsbridge Conservation Society. Truth be known, he had a great deal of respect for Amelia Bones, and the few but great changes she and her little band of non-profiteers had manage to make happen. Riddle was the problem. The conservation office _couldn't_ colour outside of the lines or they'd all be arrested, shut down, and they'd lose all credibility, which ultimately wouldn't do anyone any good whatsoever.

" _Fucking, fuck_!" Gideon emphasized.

"We could always stage our own protest," Fabian said, smiling slightly. "Drive up to London for a spot of civil disobedience. They couldn't tear the building down if we chained ourselves to it, and we could just claim to be independent of the KCS."

"Yea, but what would we _really_ accomplish by ourselves, Fabian?" Gideon shook his head. "I mean, one person can make a difference, yes, but when it's fucking Riddle and the Fashion Monkeys running amuck with bulldozers, I mean. I don't think he'd so much as hesitate in telling his people to run us over."

"I don't know," Fabian said, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Fabian knew his idea was a little weak. Two people could be too easily carted away. Turning to grin at his brother, Fay suggested hopefully, "I could bring Elf and you could bring Marlene."

"Four people are still not a movement, Fay," Gideon said. "What we need is a _group_ , you know? A version of the conservation society that breaks the rules on purpose, gets arrested for the point of it all, and just, _makes a difference_ , you know?"

"Mum would _kill_ you," Fabian said, grinning. Leaning forward, Fabian pressed, "I like it. What are you thinking, Gid?"

Gideon furrowed his eyebrows. "A society, I think," he said. "We could take run of a group, couldn't we?"

"The two of us?" Fabian asked thoughtfully, starting to feel a bit of enthusiasm building. He already had grand ideas of him and Gideon leading the resistance. "You could be the inspiring leader type that gathers the masses, and I could be the pretty one with the adoring fans. We'd practically be superheroes."

"I'm far from inspiring," Gideon commented. "And I'm prettier than you."

"Shut up," Fabian laughed, slapping Gideon's arm. "And I'd say that you don't give yourself enough credit, but you obviously give yourself too much. You are too inspiring, and I certainly _am_ prettiest."

"Would you be willing to do illegal things though? Just for, like, momentary shout matches with Riddle or something?" Gideon said seriously. "Because we'd probably get arrested. A lot. And I dunno about you, but I'd rather take the fall for me and you plus 20 then let 18 people take the fall for the both of us, right?"

"Don't be silly," Fabian said idly. "If we managed to actually have an effect, then yeah, of course I would be. And we could probably manage to swing it so we actually do take the fall, instead of anyone else. And besides, I've still got a few more years left before things really matter. You're the one who'll have the most on the line."

"You're the one in high school still, Fay. Marks like that could damage your record for the rest of your life," Gideon said. "And it's not as though, in reality, I'm ever going to do what I _really_ want to do, so arrested or not, it makes no difference to me."

"You could do it, if you wanted to, Gid," Fay said, stretching luxuriously. "I always thought I'd make a good manager. I'm good with details. And anyway, running our own secret society and you being an actor aren't two mutually exclusive things."

Gideon's cheeks went red. Talking about doing what he'd always dreamed of doing still made him uncomfortable. "Right," he mumbled, and then cleared his throat. "So, it would be a sort of, I'm the front man and you work the details sort of thing?"

"Yeah, sure. That's what I'm good at," Fabian agreed. He was excitable, to be sure, and at 15, he didn't see any reason not to dream big. "And come on. How cool will it be? We can amass a little, peaceful army of our own, and Riddle won't stand a chance. It'll be awesome. And then, who knows. Maybe Hollywood."

"We could do that. Not the Hollywood thing," Gideon added, if a little quickly, "But run the thing together. Co-presidents or something."

"I thought you wanted me to sort of take care of details behind the scenes," Fabian said carefully. Gideon wanted them to be co-presidents? They'd finally have something to do together, something to do just as brothers. "I mean, I'm just... I don't know anything about stuff like... though I guess you don't either. We could figure it out together, hey? Yeah. Yeah!"

Gideon laughed. "I might be the face of inspirational hero, but don't think for once that'll it'll just be Gideon Prewett. It'll be the Prewett brothers they'll remember."

"This will be awesome. We'll finally be able to make a difference," Fabian said, smiling widely. "We'll need a name. The Prewett Brothers and Company?"

"When I say 'It'll be the Prewett brothers they'll remember', Fabian, I don't mean we should go right off and announce it to them for good measure," Gideon said, grinning. "We want to be a bit more subtle than that. Like. Um. Eco-Cult, maybe? Or is that too Charles Manson?"

"Yuck. We are _not_ a cult," Fabian said, pinching his nose dramatically. "What about something simple? The Resistance? The Group of Resistance? Or, how do you say group in French again? Not that we're French. Or classy enough to pull it off anyway. Ha."

"Nothing French. Other languages make my brain hurt. And The Resistance makes us seem like... I dunno. Knights. How about..." Gideon paused, scratching his chin. "The Order of... something?"

"The Order of what? The Order of Eco?" Fabian suggested with a wrinkled nose. "That sounds tacky. What about something fun? Like, the Order of... Sparkles!"

Gideon stared at his brother dumbfounded for a moment, before shaking himself out of it. "Sorry, did you say _sparkles_? Fuck, how did I not figure out you were gay long ago?"

Blushing a little, Fabian just shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I don't know. Fine, _you_ pick something fun, then."

"Something fun? Erm. The Order of Tits. The Order of Pussy. The Order of Pancakes. The Order of Strawberry Ice Cream. The Order of the Condom," Gideon stopped, laughing at the look on Fabian's face. "Fine, fine," he said. The Order of Defence? The Order of the Phoenix? The Order of Weed?"

"Weed!" Fabian broke in, chuckling. "Now there's something we both agree on. Though, I do like pancakes and strawberry ice cream, I think weed is a little more, um, _central_ to being an environmental activist. Otherwise known as _hippie_. And anyway, can you actually see any meeting with us and our friends going by without a bowl?"

"No. Ugh, are we really _hippies_?" Gideon asked with distaste. "I don't fancy walking about in bell bottom trousers and John Lennon glasses, with a beard made for birds to nest in."

"Don't be stereotypical. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I lisp and flick my wrist around and go on about how 'Mary, that is just _scandalous_!', does it?" Fabian said, and then paused. "Okay, bad example. But yeah, we kind of are hippies. But don't worry. We're like, a modern version of hippie. We have the hippie mentality, but we're also very stylishly dressed. The best of both worlds."

"I can't decide whether I've got homosexual tendencies or old-fashioned good taste," Gideon said.

"There's nothing wrong with a healthy amount of gay," Fabian said diplomatically, trying to hide a smirk behind a serious façade. "I'd say I almost get hit on by as many girls as you do. You should thank me, really. You probably got it from me."

Gideon, who'd always been very conscious about his clothing despite the fact that one of his favourite activities at seven was to roll about in the mud, smiled wryly. "Right, _Fabian_. This from a toddler who didn't care what mummy put on him, so long as his ugly, plaid pants were worn _every single day_. For a while you even insisted on wearing them to bed, and in the bath."

"I was three. I grew out of that before I even went to preschool," Fabian replied dryly. "And since you are obviously grasping at straws that must mean you know I'm right. So are we decided then? We'll start the Order of Weed and damn the consequences?"

"Sounds good to me," Gideon replied, smiling broadly. "The Order of Weed. Hmm. Who shall we recruit then?"

"Elf and Kinny, duh. And maybe Stubby and Leroy would join," Fay suggested. "I've got a couple of mates at school who would probably be interested."

"I dunno about Stubby," Gideon said, sourly. His opinion on Stubby Boardman went up and down depending on how much time he spent with Marlene.

"You just don't like him because he has the hots for your best bud," Fabian said. "Him and Marlene are just friends. I pester her about him all the time, and she doesn't even _like_ the guy. I highly doubt you need to worry about him usurping your spot as her number one. And besides. The revolution needs a sound track, and for that we need musicians."

Gideon's face flushed again. He hadn't told Fabian about Marlene, and neither had their mother, and Gideon saw no reason to enlighten his brother now. "I just don't think he'll be into the Save the Planet thing. He's rather focused and his and Leroy's stupid little band."

"You'll never know until you ask," Fabian quipped. "Hang on. I'll go get some paper and we can make a list."

Gideon watched Fabian leave thoughtfully, considering the little plan they'd just formulated. Could they make it work? Could they make the Order of Weed a _reality_? Gideon wondered if there could even be a future for it beyond tomorrow, when he and Fabian might wake up and forget they'd ever discussed it. Make a difference? Take a stand? Have a voice against Riddle, and Vol de Mort, and the horrible things that were slowly being forced on the public?

There had to be some sort of resolution of this mess, someday, a taking down of the fuckhead and his disregard for the rest of the world, and Gideon wanted to be there when it happened. In fact, he wanted to be _responsible_ for it. He and Fabian.

The Prewett Brothers. Yes, Gideon thought, it would be hard to forget them once it happened.


	6. Lockers Instead of Closets (September 23rd, 1999)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Fabian and his locker get a little too well acquainted, Gideon saves the day, again, and Bill Weasley makes an impromptu appearance.

"Hey, I'll see you guys later. I'm late again," Fabian said, turning away from his friends to head towards the back doors of the school. He and Gideon had a meeting with someone or other who they thought might like to be in their secret society, The Order of Weed, and Gid would get annoyed if Fay didn't hurry up and get home.

"Call me later, will you? You've got to come over and help with that essay else I'm bloody screwed," Elphias called, eyes twinkling. One of his friends snorted and elbowed Elf, whispering something lewd under his breath. Elf laughed and pushed him away before continuing to watch Fabian go.

Fay turned back to salute Elphias, grinning brightly and nearly crashing into the doors as he jogged backwards. He got to the end of the parking lot before he realized he'd left his chemistry textbook in his locker. Swearing under his breath, Fabian turned around and ran back to the school, not noticing a group of older students put their cigarettes out and follow him in a side door.

Fabian was rooting around in the bottom of his locker when he heard a noise behind him, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling. He got up quickly, whirling around just in time to be slammed into the closed locker next to his.

"Afternoon, Mr. Prewett," said the biggest of the boys. He was captain of the football team, and his name was Warner Nott. "Fancy meeting you here." His mates grinned. They'd already started flexing their fists.

"Yeah, it is a bit odd, now that you mention it," Fabian said nervously, thinking fast. The hall was empty and all classes were finished for the day, so it wasn't as though Fabian could count on an intervention. He looked warily towards the door at the end of the hall. He very much doubted he could outrun football players anyway, so his only chance was convincing them to let him go. "Of course, if you'd be a dear and take a little step back, I could get my stuff and be out of your hair in a flash."

"Oh, no, no," Warner said, smirking. "There'll be no need for that fairy-boy. Stick around. We're more than happy for the company, aren't we boys?"

There was a murmur of excited acknowledgement, and the group of boys closed more tightly around Fabian and his locker.

Fabian swallowed hard, and then narrowed his eyes, temper flaring. He was sick of this. He shouldn't have to defend himself all the time; it wasn't fair.

"Oh, are you? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you aren't my type and you couldn't pay me. Now if you'll back _off_ ," Fabian said, grunting as he pushed Nott hard away from him. "You're in my personal space."

"The fag's got a temper!" Nott's grin grew and he reached forward, pinning Fabian to the locker behind him by his shoulders. "He must be tense from all the cock he's been taking up his arse."

Warner's group of cronies laughed.

"Now whatever shall we do with a fucking ponce like you, hmm?" he asked Fabian, inches away from his face.

Belatedly, Fabian realized self-righteous anger had probably not been the safest way to go if he valued getting out of this in one piece. Of course, that didn't mean he thought he was wrong.

"How about you mind your own business and leave me alone?" Fabian asked. It wasn't that he was a wimp, though he thought nobody deserved to be beaten up. It was just that he was against violence. Suddenly, he had an idea and he hoped it would work. "I've got to get going, anyway. My brother is waiting for me. Gideon Prewett, you remember him? Big guy, big muscles, lots of friends?"

"I'm not afraid of your brother, you little fuckwit. Though I'm not surprised at your lack of balls in having to hide behind him. He's always been there to beat the shit out of anyone who looks at you the wrong way," Warner said, tightening his grip on Fabian's shoulders.

"The little pussy can't fight his own battles," chirped in one of the other boys.

"I don't fight, period," Fabian said desperately, feeling panic start to set in. This could get very bad very quickly. He wasn't stupid; he knew what could happen. He'd heard all about what had happened to other people like him simply on account of liking boys. It seemed a stupid reason to beat someone up, in Fabian's opinion. Nott and his mates, unfortunately, didn't seem to agree. "I don't believe in violence. Something you might want to consider looking into, you know? You'd probably be a lot more emotionally fulfilled if you..."

Fabian trailed off with a choking noise as a forearm pressed into his throat, making it very hard to breathe or speak.

"Shut the hell up you fucking pillow-biter. One more word and I'll pound your fucking face into mashed potatoes." Not that it would matter if Fabian Prewett said one thing or another, Warner thought. He had every intention of turning his face into mashed potatoes regardless.

And with that (and the help of his four equally burly footie-playing mates), Nott began punching and kicking the daylights out of Fabian.

 _Note to self: do not mention emotions around footie players. It tends to make them angry_ , Fabian thought wryly to himself as he tried to suck air back into his forcibly emptied lungs. A fist connected with his face and Fabian felt his lip split. He sagged against the lockers as pain clouded his vision and he tried to get his hands up to cover his face.

"Stop it," he hissed, spraying red as he spoke. "Get away from me!"

"Not fucking likely, fudge-packer," Warner replied breathlessly, socking Fabian in the gut, knocking him to the ground. His mates took over and Warner stood back, watching proudly as they started beating their feet upside Fabian's head and back.

Curling in on himself, Fabian hoped vaguely through the pain that they'd get bored before he lost consciousness.

After a few more swift kicks, Warner stopped the foray. "Enough of that bullshit. I want him to fucking remember this." Looking down, Fabian seemed as though he might pass out at any moment. "Shove him in there," Warner directed, pointing to Fabian's open locker. "If we're lucky he'll be stuck there all night."

As Fabian felt himself being lifted to his feet, he snapped to attention. "No. Let _go_ ," he said, struggling feebly as they pushed him into his locker. "Don't, _don't_!" he called as the door snapped shut, nearly catching his fingers.

Fabian blinked in the dark and listened to the sound of laughter through the slits in his locker door. He pushed desperately to get out, but even if he hadn't been injured, he wouldn't be any match for them. He listened miserably to the sound of his lock clicking shut and let his head loll tiredly against the small walls. He was crunched uncomfortably in the too small space and one of his arms, which was pinned awkwardly behind him, was already starting to go numb.

"Night, night, faggot," Warner said, and he and his friends left Fabian and headed back outside.

In the parking lot, Gideon Prewett was getting impatient. They were getting progressively later for their meeting; Fabian was supposed to have met him fifteen minutes ago.

Waiting finally got the best of him when he saw a group of students leaving through the doors Fabian was supposed to come to. Gideon drove up, pulling alongside the group.

"Hey, you lot," he called through the driver-side window. "Have you seen Fabian Prewett?"

The biggest of the lot of them drew himself a cigarette, and took his _bloody_ time in replying. "Nope," he said after a time. "Haven't seen him." His friends started laughing, and they all started walking away.

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Stupid buggering gits," he said under his breath, and then pulled into a parking space. Climbing out of his van he headed inside.

The place was completely empty.

"Fabian?" he asked, rather quietly. His footsteps echoed around the hallway.

Well, while the possibility of hearing things due to internal bleeding in his brain was quite high, Fabian was almost sure he had heard his brother. His breath caught in his throat and he coughed a few times before croaking, "Gid?"

Gideon stopped. He could've sworn he heard someone cough. Walking past a row of lockers, he repeated, a little louder this time, "Fabian?"

"Gideon!" Fabian said more loudly and kicked feebly at the locker door. It _was_ Gideon, he knew it was. "I'm in Locker 142," he added, wincing at the words. They were more humiliating than he'd expected them to be.

Gideon quirked his eyebrows. "Locker...?" he started, but didn't question it. Though he imagined whatever the reason, it had something to do with the blokes in the parking lot. Gideon walked over to the locker, peering through the little vent at the top. Everything was pretty dark. "Fay? What's er, your combination?"

"14 right, 24 left, 56 right," Fabian answered softly.

Gideon turned the lock as directed, and it clicked open in his hand. He stepped back, opening the door. Then, with an "Ooomph!" he leaned quickly forward, catching Fabian as he fell.

"Holy fuck!" Gideon said, shocked, observing the blood that was now starting to ooze onto his shirt from Fabian's... something. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"What does it look like happened?" Fabian said, wincing as he tried to catch his footing. He hadn't been planning on falling out of the locker, but apparently his legs had decided not to co-operate. He finally got his feet beneath him and he leaned back against the lockers, shaking his arm out and feeling determined not to give in to the prickling in his eyes. "You'll have to meet that bloke on your own. I think I need to lie down for a while. I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"Well, I'll take you home then. Fuck the bloke, we'll meet him later," Gideon said. "C'mon, I'll help you to the van. In the meantime, who did this?"

"Doesn't matter who did it. If I tell you, you'll beat the shit out of them, and it'll only make it worse," Fabian said. There was a sharp pain when he tried to put his arm around Gid's shoulders, so he settled for clutching pathetically to his arm as he hobbled towards the doors. "At any rate, I don't think anything is broken," he added softly. "Just a bit bruised and bloody for offending the delicate sensibilities of footie players."

Gideon grunted. He had meant to growl, or perhaps swear, but it came out as a disgruntled grunt, and he felt a bit stupid. The first thing he'd planned on doing was beating the shit out of whoever beat the shit out of Fabian. "Well," he started, not really knowing what to say. He suddenly felt overcome by nosiness, and his statement veered from something comforting to, "Have you come out at school?"

Fabian felt a bit of a blush tinge his cheeks, and then he got annoyed with himself. He shouldn't have to feel embarrassed about it. He had every right to like who he wanted. Sighing, Fabian shrugged.

"Not really," he answered, not looking at Gideon. "But, well, I hang out with Elf a lot. It's there to see if anyone really looks. Our friends know."

Gideon nodded distractedly. "And the footie players spotted it, I assume?" he asked, although he knew the answer.

"So it would seem," Fay said dryly.

He wondered suddenly if it was all worth it. What was the point? He couldn't fight back--or _wouldn't_ , anyway, at least not physically--and he'd have to come out to their parents if he wanted to press charges or anything. He groaned a little as he thought of what his Mother would say when she saw him like this. They wouldn't let him avoid answering questions, and they didn't know the things Gideon did. He didn't want to have to deal with that on top of everything else.

"What do you want to do, Fabian?" Gideon asked as they reached the van.

"I don't know," Fay said, leaning against the side of the van as they reached it. His vision was swimming a little and he wondered idly if he had a concussion. They'd gotten him in the back of the head a few times, after all. He touched a hand to his still bleeding lip and sighed. His fear of internal bleeding was only a bit stronger than his fear of coming out to his parents and he tried hard to focus his eyes on his brother. "Do you think I should go to the hospital?"

"I dunno," Gideon replied, truthfully. "You don't look like it, but I suppose you might have a concussion. It's up to you. Are you going to get in?"

"If I can," Fabian answered ruefully and pulled the door open, hoisting himself with great effort into the front passenger seat. His hands were shaking so much he couldn't get his seatbelt done up and he wondered if he was more scared than actually injured. "It isn't fair, Gid," he whispered. "I didn't do anything to them."

"I know, little brother," Gideon replied, then walked around and hoisted himself into the drivers’ seat. 'Home or hospital?" he asked, starting the engine.

Fabian turned his face to the window so his brother wouldn't see the tears he'd been trying to hold back. Letting go of his seatbelt without buckling it, he just shrugged, not trusting his voice.

Gideon hesitated for a second. He didn't want to force himself into whatever Fabian was dealing with, but he didn't want to let it go, either. If he were Fabian, he'd just go home and tell their parents exactly how it was. But he wasn't Fabian. He was Gideon, and he wasn't dealing with anything even remotely close to what Fabian was. Rather than responding to Fabian's silence, Gideon reached over and did up his little brother's seatbelt.

After a moment he asked again, "Home or hospital?"

"I don't _know_. I don't know what to do," Fabian snapped, his voice cracking with emotion. As soon as he spoke, he wrapped an arm around his middle and winced again. Everything hurt.

Fabian had a feeling he should go to the hospital just to be safe, but that would require a whole lot of explaining, both to doctors and his parents and what have you. He wasn't sure he had any really serious injuries, though the cut on his lip could probably do with a few stitches. It wasn't as though there was much that could be done for bruised ribs anyway, and Fabian thought he'd know if they were broken. If he went home, though, he could avoid most of the issues and just sleep it off. But he'd still have to explain it to his parents eventually, and there was the chance that he had a concussion and sleeping would be bad.

Finally, Fabian just sighed and wiped the tears off his face with bloody fingers. "You choose. I'm sick of dealing with it."

Exasperated, Gideon took a deep breath to refrain from yelling. He had a horrible temper, and didn't really feel like using it to make Fabian feel worse. "Fabian, I don't care how sick of it you are. I'm asking you a question, so fucking answer it," he said, voice raised slightly, patience with his brother teetering. He knew it wasn't easy. He understood that Fabian had just been beaten up because of who he liked, and nothing else. But enough of it. Enough beating around the bush with it and being all fucking emotionally distraught. Gideon would always be Fabian's big brother, but he didn't want to spend the rest of his life making every decision because Fay was too "sick of dealing with it."

Eyes wide, Fabian looked at his brother, surprised. After a moment, he used both hands to unbuckle his seatbelt and open the door, "Go to the meeting, Gideon. I'll walk home." Stumbling as he slid out, Fay only got a few steps before he had to grab onto a chain link fence to stay upright, taking a few more steps using the fence as support.

Gideon hit his head upside the steering wheel. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, looking upward. Closing his eyes he ran his hands through his hair, then climbed out of the van and followed his brother. "What, Fabian? What?" he asked, stopping beside his brother. 

"Fuck off," Fabian growled. "You don't get it. You don't get what it's like, Gideon."

"No, no I don't," Gideon replied. "I never have, currently don't, and never will, Fabian. But it's not the fucking end of the world, and you don't have to act like some emotionally distraught little girl. It's _your_ life, it's how it's going to be, so either deal with it or ignore it, because I officially resign as your personal bodyguard and mother."

"Fuck _you_!" Fabian shouted, pushing his brother away angrily. "Then go, why don't you? Get in the fucking van and _leave_ , because I never asked you to get out and call me a girl. I never asked for any of this, so just _fuck off_." With that, he pushed Gideon again, as hard as he could which, given his current state, was not as hard as Fabian would've liked.

"Fuck you too!" Gideon yelled back, face red, but he didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere you fucking drama queen, because you're probably going to collapse, and I'm not going to leave you here for those wanks to come back and beat the rest of your face in!"

"What do you care?" Fabian spat, balling his hands into fists. He knew he was being irrational, but was it so much to ask for his brother to be nice at a time like this? Fabian felt like he was fighting the whole world, and he didn't _want_ to fight Gideon too. He just wanted someone to tell him it'd be okay, even if it wouldn't. Shaking his head against the tears on his face again, Fabian turned away from Gideon and began making his way home, one hand on the fence and one on around his ribs.

"No!" Gideon said, to nothing, and grabbed Fabian by the arm. "Walk away from everything else Fabian, but don't you dare walk away from me."

"Don't touch me!" Fabian screamed, pulling his arm away. "Don't fucking touch me and don't tell me not to walk away after calling me a girl and a drama queen. I never asked you to be my bodyguard or my mother. All I want is for you to be my _brother_ , Gideon. That's all and you know it. So fuck off, and run the _Order of Weed_ by yourself then. It's a stupid name anyway."

"Fine," Gideon said after a shocked moment. "Fine! Walk the fuck home then, and see how far you get before you're wishing you weren't such a fucking douche bag. I'm an asshole, Fabian, but at least I'm honest about it." Walking back toward the van, he added, "You take fucking everything out of context, little brother, like every bloody thing is a comment on your sexuality." Climbing in the van, Gideon slammed the door. "I don't _give_ a fuck, Fabian, else I'd call you a faggot just like everyone else."

Fabian didn't outwardly react to his brother's painful words, or to his brother getting in the van. He just kept walking, and when he reached the end of the fence, he began limping on his own. A sob bubbled up unexpectedly, and tore from his lungs, sending him crashing to his knees. He didn't even have time to swipe the back of his hand across his cheeks to dry them before he heard a familiar and unwelcome voice.

"Well, well! Looks like the little fucktard managed to get out!" Warner Nott sneered, giving Fabian a slight push on the shoulder with his foot. "I didn't expect you to be so eager to come see me again."

"Fuck you," Fabian growled, pushing himself to his feet. Some of his mates had gone home; it was just Nott and one other. Goyle was big and stupid, but Fay didn't know if that made him more dangerous, or less. He'd do whatever he was told, really, and that sort of blind obedience was scary. The only problem was, Fay was sick of being scared.

Though he didn't know what Gideon would do if he was watching, Fay squared his shoulders as best he could and said in a level voice, "You know what they say, you ignorant arsehole? That the most violently homophobic people react the way they do because they're repressing homosexual tendencies. How close are you and Goyle, exactly?"

Warner's face burned red and he growled. "Shut your mouth, you little shit. Nobody with a brain wants a fucking dick up their arse."

"Oh, so does that count any of the girls you've done it doggy style with then? It's just sex, Nott," Fabian said. He didn't know exactly what he was trying to accomplish, but he really hoped it wouldn't end in more violence. He wasn't sure he could take anymore. "What I don't get, Nott, is why you think it's any of your business how I fuck or who I love. It doesn't concern you."

At a temporary loss, Warner's lips seemed to blubber like a fish. After a moment of staring at insolent fucking faggot Fabian Prewett, he swelled up with anger and grabbed Fabian by the collars lifting him up off of the ground. "You're a fucking ponce, Prewett. You're not worth the time of day, only to teach you that you're not wanted in Salcombe. Fucker."

Struggling to breath around the knuckles pressing into his throat, Fabian gasped as his already battered body was slammed into the fence post a few feet behind his back.

"I told you I don't fight, Nott. Don't do this again," Fabian said, hands trying ineffectually to push Nott away.

Warner cracked his knuckles, and he and Goyle began bearing down on Fabian without exchanging a word.

"Deaf, Nott?" came a gruff voice from behind them.

Warner stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Gideon Prewett! Here to bail out your faggot brother, I presume. Ooops! I'm sorry! Did you not know?"

Gideon's eyebrows rose, and he smiled. "Actually, Nott, I did know. And I could give two shits less to be honest. I do, however, care that you and your mate are attempting to kick the shit out of my brother, two to one, when you're both rather larger than he is. Do you suppose that's fair?"

"Doesn't have to be fucking fair," Warner spat back. "I'm not the ponce."

Gideon laughed. "Maybe not," he said. "But you're certainly the biggest idiot. Are you going to leave quietly, or am I going to have to be forceful? In case you haven't noticed, Nott, I'm bigger than the both of you, and trust me, I hit much harder."

"Violence doesn't solve anything," Fabian muttered, using Nott's distraction to slip out of his grasp. Fay stumbled towards his brother, red-cheeked and not quite meeting his eyes, still clutching at his own ribs and taking shallow breaths. "Let's just go."

Warner seemed to contemplate taking Gideon on, but, in the end, decided that Fabian wasn't worth it. He beckoned Goyle to follow him and the two left.

Looking at his brother, Gideon said, again, "Hospital, or home?"

"Home. I'd better talk to Mum and Dad myself before the shit hits the fan," Fabian answered, making his way towards the van without looking at his brother. "We'll see what they think."

Gideon followed, confused. "You mean. You're going to tell them?"

"Yeah," Fabian answered shortly, leaning gratefully against the side of the van as he reached it, pulling the door open.

Compelled, Gideon asked, "Are you sure?"

"Gideon, you wanted me to make a decision and I made one," Fabian answered, sounding tired. "Just take me home, please."

Gideon nodded, and without another word he walked around the van and climbed back into the driver's seat. Once Fabian had managed to get in himself, Gideon did up his seatbelt again, and then started the car. They pulled out of the school's parking lot in silence, turning down one of Salcombe's many side roads; a shortcut to their house.

"Um, so," Gideon said after a short time, suddenly remembering something he'd been told earlier that day. "Molly's pregnant."

"Figures. It was only a matter of time, really. Her and Arthur have a _lot_ of sex," Fabian answered, pleased but unsurprised.

Gideon laughed. "No kidding. It was worse when they were dating and going at it in the house though, trust me," he said. "And they'd only do it when you weren't home." Gideon shuddered at the memory. "Dear God, the sounds."

Fabian laughed, and then decided that was a bad idea as pain spiked through his ribcage. "Well, I guess that's some good coming from being the youngest. Molly always did coddle me more than she did you."

"At least I never had to play princess in a construction paper hat," Gideon teased. "I got to be the knight with the tin foil sword." He blinked. "You know, I never understood why Molly always wanted to be the dragon."

Fabian smiled as he thought of their childhood. "Is Molly home? You know she'll kill me for not telling her before Mum and Dad."

"She was when I left," Gideon replied, "but I don't know if she still is."

"Okay," Fabian said, and closed his eyes. He was starting to feel a little panicked and he wondered if it was really worth it. He'd gone over the worst case scenario in his head a thousand times, just like he'd hopefully clung to the possibility of a best case scenario, and he wasn't sure if the latter was worth taking the risk of the former. Of course, in all likeliness, it would go well. Fabian knew that. The knowledge didn't manage to dispel his doubts, however.

Rubbing idly at the dried blood on his face, Fabian asked in a low voice, "If something happens... I know it'll probably be fine, but if something does, would you get a place with me? I mean, I couldn't afford rent on my own, and just in case Molly and Arthur don't want me about, you know..."

Gideon smiled, and then nodded as he turned down their street. "Don't worry about it Fay," he said.

"Easy for you to say," Fabian grumbled, sinking lower in his seat as they got closer and closer to home. As they pulled up in front of the house, Fabian sighed. Molly's car was still there. He didn't know now whether that was good or bad. It was all just a bit overwhelming.

Gideon didn't really know what to say. Nothing comforting or reassuring came to mind; he just shut off the engine, paused for a moment, and then climbed out of the car. He walked around and opened the door for Fabian, who he figured needed all the help he could get right now.

"Thanks," Fabian said as Gid helped him out of the van and led him towards the house. He took his time kicking off his shoes and braced himself for the inevitable screech from his mother when she saw what state he was in.

After shooting a worried look at Gideon, Fabian followed the sound of voices into the kitchen where his parents and Molly were sitting and drinking tea. There was a moment of silence as they noticed Fabian, and then a flurry of movement and noise as his mother began to fuss.

"Mum. Hey, Mum, relax," Fay said, catching her hands with his and looking up at her. He could see Molly hovering behind his mother, and his dad on his feet as well, watching with some inscrutable expression.

"Oh, Fabian. What happened, sweetie?" she asked, eyes bright.

"I got in a fight. Look, sit down the lot of you, okay? I've got to talk to you and you're making me nervous," Fabian answered, pushing his mother away and tucking his hair behind his ears.

Gideon walked around the collection of family members and sat himself down at the table just as Fabian instructed everyone else to do so. He crossed his arms, leaning the chair back on two legs, looking at Fabian with a worried expression. He expected the best out of his parents, really, and especially Molly. If they rejected Fabian, he didn't know what he'd do, though he was sure there'd be some yelling.

Molly looked positively frightened at the sight of her youngest brother, and she and her mother exchanged worried glances. She just didn't know what to think. Who would do such a thing to Fabian?

Fabian waited until everyone was sitting and then began twisting his sweating palms in the material of his shirt. "Well," he said. "Well, I got in a fight. Sort of. I mean, it was... I was... attacked."

"Attacked!" His father exclaimed hoarsely. "By who? Someone at school?"

"Yes," Fabian said. "Some guys from the footie team. They don't agree with my--" Fabian cut himself off, scrubbing a hand over his mouth, wincing as it made his split lip begin to bleed again. He swore softly and grabbed a paper towel form the roll on the table, pressing it to his lip. "They don't agree with my lifestyle choice, so they decided to make sure I knew what they thought. They locked me in my locker. Gideon found me."

"Lifestyle choice?" his mother questioned. "Sweetie, what do you mean?" She looked at Gideon, who was chewing on his lip but wouldn't look his mother in the eye. She frowned. "What lifestyle choice?" she asked again.

"I like boys, Mum," Fabian said, his voice coming out a little strangled. He supposed he might as well just get it out there. He'd done his bit, and the rest was up to them. All he could do was wait and try not to hyperventilate.

The room was deathly quiet. It seemed that everyone had even stopped breathing. Gideon bit down on his lip so hard that he drew blood.

Their mother was in shock. "Oh," she said, quietly, and looked at her slipper-clad feet. Molly looked at Fabian as though she were trying to read his mind.

Their father grunted, but didn't seem to be looking anywhere.

"Could you... could someone say something, please?" Fabian asked when the silence stretched too long.

"Well," Molly started. "I'm surprised, but I mean," what was she supposed to say exactly? Did she care? Well, no, he was her brother and it didn't matter who he liked, but, what to say? How did one make their brother's coming out just a little less awkward? "I'm," she started again. "I'm okay with it. I am."

Fabian nodded at her, but his parents still weren't saying anything and he shoved his hands into his pockets so no one would see them shaking. What if they really did freak out? Was Fabian ready to deal with that? It was too late now, he supposed. All he wanted to do now was get out of that room.

He walked to the garbage can to throw out his bloody napkin, saying shakily, "Right, well, I'm just going to go have a lie down, then. I'm not feeling my best just now."

"Wait," his mother said. "Just you wait a moment, Fabian Loyal Audrey Prewett."

Gideon looked at his mother in alarm. She wouldn't... she couldn't yell at him?

With one hand on the doorframe, Fabian froze, not quite daring to leave but not quite daring to turn back and face them all.

She stood, and walked over to her youngest son, pulling him around slowly. "It's... it's okay. With me, I mean," she said softly. Her eyes were filling with tears, and she was shocked and surprised and lost, and yet so proud of Fabian at the same time. No, she hadn't expected this. Truth be told, if given the option, she wouldn't have mapped it out for one of her children. But it was who Fabian was, she decided, and that would be okay with her. Tugging him into a tight hug she began crying.

"Don't... don't cry, Mum," Fabian said, even as his own eyes filled. "I didn't mean to disappoint you. I didn't choose to... it's just how, how it _is_. Don't cry, Mum."

"You haven't disappointed me, honey," she replied through her tears. "You're my baby boy, Fabian. I love you more than life itself. Don't ever think you disappoint me."

Fabian felt another hand on his back and he lifted his face from his mother's shoulder to see his father standing next to him. His dad nodded once and Fabian dropped his head back to his mother's shoulder with relief.

Still sitting at the table, Gideon and Molly looked at one another. Molly smirked. "You already knew, didn't you?"

Gideon smiled back. "Maybe."

Without another word the two stood and joined their parents and little brother.

Fay looked over his shoulder at his brother and gave him a watery smile. Turning his attention to Molly for a second, Fabian let out a little laugh. "Guess I stole your thunder, didn't I? Well, congratulations anyway, about the baby."

"Don't worry Fay," she replied. "Just don't do this again when I go into labour, eh?"

"I promise I won't," Fabian said and then tugged his sister into the hug too, sniffling.

Gideon reached over, grinning, and fluffed Fabian's hair in a big brother sort of way. He wrapped an arm around his sister, put a hand on his father's shoulder, and smiled at the situation in front of him. Everything had worked out. Everything always worked out in their family.

Realization dawning he laughed out loud, and commented, "God damn! When did we turn into an after school special?"


	7. Ripped Trousers (November 15th, 2000)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Sirius has no idea what anyone is talking about, James offers more than just a guest bedroom, and the truth, quite frankly, hurts.

"FUCK YOU!" Sirius' voice rang through the house like a gong, bouncing off the walls, sticking in the furniture. It seemed to echo around him, around his family, and it was the most sincere thing he'd said to his parents in about three weeks.

"If you don't learn to respect your parents, Sirius Black, then you will not be welcome in this house!" his father Orion said, grabbing his eldest son by the shirt collars and pushing him against the dining room wall.

"That's not such a bad thing," Sirius managed, breathlessly, struggling against his father's grip and flailing his legs.

"You ungrateful little shit," Orion spat, hitting Sirius against the wall again.

Sirius felt his back crack; the pain was up and down his spine in a millisecond and he fought to hold back tears. There would be bruises in the morning, he knew. Hell, there already were. One on each eye, one on his shoulder. Two on each leg, but always in hide-able places. Except for the eyes. Sirius wondered why no one but James could seem to figure it out. Everyone else just thought he was clumsy, always walking into doors.

Orion tossed Sirius unceremoniously across the room and he skidded painfully into the French doors. His mother stood by the kitchen, looking livid. But she'd slapped him twice. Between the two of them there was nothing else to say but:

"Get out," Agatha Black whispered.

Sirius didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and tore up the stairs and toward his room where he grabbed a bag and started shoving his clothes in haphazardly.

All this over a fucking tear in his jeans.

"Why don't you ever just keep your mouth shut?" came a small, shaky voice from the doorway. Regulus was only 11; young and scared and he _needed_ his brother. "You can't leave, Sirius. You can't."

"Fuck you, Reg," Sirius said, echoing his earlier comment. "You've got to be handicap if you think I'm sticking around here. Aren't you sick of this?"

"You ask for it sometimes, Sirius," Regulus said softly, angry tears springing to his eyes. "You should know better than to swear at them."

Sirius hadn't stopped packing, though, and he wasn't even _looking_ at Regulus. He was going to leave without even really listening to a word Reg had to say. Striding forward, Regulus pulled some clothes out of the bag and threw them across the room.

"Stop it!" he shouted.

Sirius pushed his brother away and growled lowly. "Reg, _fuck off_. This is fucking child abuse, you idiot. They're not fit to be our fucking parents." He pointed to his purple eyes. "Look at that. Look at what Dad did to me."

"They love us," Regulus said stubbornly, stumbling back and falling onto his arse. He looked reproachfully up at his brother. "They want the best for us. They're just trying to teach us, to... trying to make us stronger..."

"By beating the shit out of us? No, Reg, that's not right at all." Sirius picked up the clothes that his brother had thrown across the room and shoved them back into his bag.

"They wouldn't if you didn't talk back all the time! You don't even try!" Regulus snapped. Hearing his parents call his name from downstairs, however, stilled his anger. Regulus wouldn't dare walk out on his parents, but that didn't mean he wasn't scared. "Please, you can't leave. Please don't, Sirius, please."

"Come with me then, Reg, because I'm not staying," Sirius replied, zipping up his backpack.

"I can't," Reg said and moved towards the door as his father called for him again. He paused on the threshold, looking back at Sirius. "This is my home. They're my parents. They love me."

"You're delusional," Sirius answered calmly. "I'm the only one that loves you Reg," he added, and then swiftly and quietly left the room.

He tiptoed down the stairs and out the front door, turning up the street toward James' house. It was the only place in the whole town where he knew he was welcome without question. Where people cared about him. Where he felt that his existence wasn't pointless. Walking up the driveway and through the gate to the backyard, he stopped at the sliding glass kitchen doors and knocked lightly.

James froze at the sound. There was only one person who'd come around to the back and suddenly he had the certain feeling that something was wrong. Pushing his full plate away, he got up from the table and smiled at his parents before they could head for the door.

"I'm done, and it's Sirius. I forgot he was coming over tonight," James said quickly, and headed for the hall. As soon as he rounded the corner and saw Sirius slouched there, bag in hand, he swore and hurried to unlock the door and slide it open. After taking Sirius' bag and pulling him inside, James whispered, "What happened? You look like you've been hit by a fucking truck."

Sirius winced. "I might as well have been," he said, running a hand through his hair. He looked down at his trousers and picked at the rip that had started this mess in the first place. "When I got up from the dinner table I caught my jeans and ripped them," he added dully.

Clenching his jaw, James nodded and slung Sirius' bag over his shoulder. He hated the Blacks. They were stupid, terrible people and James wished they would just get hit by lightening and die. He and Sirius had been over it all before, though, and so James--feeling much older than 12--simply began towards the stairs.

"Right, well, you'll just take the guest room is all," he said. "My parents won't mind."

"Won't mind what?" Rachel, James' mum, called, coming out into the hallway and freezing at the sight of her son and his bruised best friend. "Oh my dear boy, what's happened to you?"

Sirius mumbled his typical "I walked into a door," response, but didn't take his eyes off of his shoes.

"Oh sweetie," Rachel said, moving to crouch down in front of Sirius. Lifting his face with a gentle hand on his chin, she shook her head and called, "Leonard, honey, can you put on some tea and bring me the ice pack from freezer?"

James moved a little closer to Sirius' side, feeling protective. He knew his parents would want to do the right thing, but he didn't think Sirius really wanted a fuss right now. "Mum, he's fine okay? We're going to go upstairs."

"Don't be ridiculous. The two of you are going to come into the dining room and tell your father and I what's really going on," Rachel said, smoothing Sirius' hair back from his face with gentle, loving hands.

Sirius felt incredibly awkward, quite frankly, and wanted nothing more than to vanish entirely, or watch TV. Not talk about. Never talk about it. He barely talked about it with James, because there was never any reason to. James just _got it_. Adults wanted details... answers. They wanted to help. It didn't matter anyhow, because tomorrow he would just go back to his house, like he always did, and he and his parents would "forget" that anything had ever happened.

"That is what happened," Sirius said, almost pleadingly. "I walked into a door that my brother was closing, and I fell onto the floor. Just before dinner. James didn't you tell her you invited me to sleep over?"

"No, I forgot. Mum, seriously. It's no big deal. He's just an idiot," James said, pulling Sirius towards the stairs.

Rachel got to her feet, watching them with sad eyes. "Boys, please. You know you can tell us anything..."

"We aren't going to get angry, we just want to help," Leonard said suddenly, walking into the room and handing Sirius the ice pack. "Did you get in a fight?"

"No. I was walking and Reg hit me in the face with a door. I fell down. I'm fine. Bruised but fine," Sirius said, putting the ice on one side of his face. "Thanks for the ice. We'll just be going. A video game challenge awaits."

Rachel and Leonard exchanged a look but didn't protest any more, and James knew he'd be explaining later. Right now, he just wanted to get Sirius into James' room. Tugging Sirius from the room by his arm, James made his way upstairs, dropping Sirius' stuff into the guest room before continuing on to his room, shutting the door behind them.

"Sorry, mate. I'll gloss it all over later. You okay?" James asked awkwardly.

Sirius nodded, flopping into a beanbag chair that was sitting on the floor. "It's fine. But I couldn't get Reg to go again."

"The kid's brainwashed," James said, shrugging and flopping to the floor next to Sirius. "Can't help him if he doesn't want help. So. Street Fighters or X-Men?"

"X-men," Sirius answered. "Because I always kick your ass."

James nodded and started up the game, tossing Sirius the first player control. As they were selecting their characters, James said softly, "You know you could live here, right? Forever, if you wanted. You don't have to always go back there."

"I wouldn't, either, if it wasn't for Reg," Sirius said sadly. "If I leave him there by himself, they'll kill him. He can't take it like I can. He doesn't fight back. Remember when Dad broke his arm?"

"Yeah," James sighed, feeling frustrated. Sirius was right, even if Reg was an annoying little berk sometimes, he was Sirius' brother and Sirius loved him. Besides, no one deserved to grow up like that. "Maybe if we told my parents? I mean, they could help..."

Sirius sighed, exasperated. "James, we've talked about this 50 million times. No."

"They're going to ask questions this time. Walking into a door is a stupid enough excuse the first time around, but you used it a few months ago, too. They know we're lying," James said. "My parents love you like a son, Siri. You're my brother. Let us help for once. For fuck's sake, you got the shit kicked out of you for accidentally ripping your pants."

"No, James. Fucktards our not, they're still my parents. I'll be 18 soon enough," Sirius said.

Rachel, standing in the hallway with a plate of food, couldn't help but overhear the last bit of the conversation. She felt her heart break for Sirius, for the situation he was in. She'd never approved of the way the Blacks parented, but this was far, _far_ worse than she'd ever imagined. The poor boy. How could she have not known? The signs were so obvious. She took a stilling breath before knocking on the door.

"Boys? I've brought you up some snacks," she said softly, pushing the door open.

James could tell right away by the expression on her face that she'd heard. He swore under his breath and looked worriedly in Sirius' direction, unsure how his friend would handle it. Could Sirius tell too, by the too-soft tone of his mum's voice?

Sirius paused, looking between James and his mum with a confused expression on his face. "Um. Thanks."

"Honestly, James, would it kill you to keep your room a bit tidier?" Rachel asked absently, perching awkwardly on the edge of James' bed.

"Mum?" James asked, his voice pleading. _Don't make it worse, don't say anything_.

"You know that as a mother, I can't not do anything, don't you? I can't let it go on how it is," she said softly, running a hand through Sirius' hair. "I don't know why you didn't tell me..."

Sirius' face turned red. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mrs. Potter," he muttered.

"I can't let you go back to an abusive situation," she said. "I'll have to talk to Leonard about it, but I think it would be best to talk to child services."

"You can't tell anyone, mum," James said softly. "It's not your choice."

"How can I not, James? How could I live with myself if I didn't?" Rachel said sharply, tears springing to her eyes. "It isn't right."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sirius said a little louder.

"Oh, Sirius," Rachel said softly. "I heard you and James talking."

"Eavesdropper," James mumbled. "Look, we've got it under control, okay? It's up to Sirius."

"He's just a child. You're both just children," Rachel answered. "It is my duty as a mother to keep you out of harm's way."

Sirius was angry now. "I _don't_ know _what_ you're _talking_ about," he repeated, much louder and through gritted teeth.

"Don't shout at her," James said softly. "She isn't stupid."

"It's all right, James. He's upset..."

"And don't be condescending, Mum."

"James..."

"No, mum! You want to run in and save the day and whisk Sirius and Regulus off somewhere safe, well it doesn't work like that," James said firmly. He'd been thinking about it for years and he and Sirius had talked about it over and over again. "You think anyone would believe you? The Blacks are perfect parents, high standing members of the church, _and_ they have loads of money and favours banked. It'll only make it worse if you step in. It's up to Sirius. It's his choice. It isn't fair of you to make him."

"I wasn't shouting," Sirius said. "It's not a problem. There's nothing going on, so there's no reason to be having this conversation. I have no idea what anyone is talking about. Can we, I don't know, eat the snacks? Keep playing video games?"

"Stop pretending!" James said loudly, annoyed. "She heard us, all right? Just deal with it."

"I think you need to calm down, JP," Rachel said softly.

"I think you need to remember you aren't the only fucking person who gives a shit about Sirius."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Though Rachel knew her son swore on occasion, she'd assumed it was just a way for him to pretend to be grown up. He'd never, ever sworn at her before. At the same time, she could hear the sincerity in his voice, and she knew, in that way mothers knew things, that it was hard for her to defend Sirius' choice of silence. As loathe as she was to admit it, James might be right. Head of Child Services in town was, now that Rachel thought about it, a friend of Agatha Black's.

Sighing sadly, Rachel bent and kissed her son on the head, and then Sirius too, before getting up and walking to the door. "I'm proud of you, James. And Sirius, if you ever need anything, anything, Leonard and I will be there in a flash, okay sweetie?"

Sirius didn't respond. He was looking at James, an indescribable expression on his face.

Not for the first time in his life, Sirius wished that everything was just easier.

Sighing, Rachel said softly, "Well, I'll leave you two to play. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything. Oh, and I'll talk to Leonard about a proper punishment for swearing at your mother, James. I don't care how upset you are, you don't talk me like that."

"Sorry," James mumbled before Rachel latched the door shut behind her. James turned to face Sirius and then pulled the plate of snacks between them, popping a cracker with some cheese on it into his mouth. "So."

"I hate my life," Sirius said simply.

"Yeah," James said miserably through his full mouth. He swallowed and then forced a smile in Sirius' direction. "But you can share mine, you know."

Sirius laughed sadly, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "Thanks."

Pushing the plate away with his foot, James pulled Sirius into a hug. Though he'd usually just punch his mate in the shoulder and suggest they get back to their game, Sirius usually wouldn't cry, either. It was a bit of a weird night for both of them.

"It'll work out in the end," James said furiously. "I promise it will."

Sirius nodded and took a deep breath. "I know," he said. "It will."

Letting Sirius go, James decided to bring back a little normalcy. Punching Sirius in the shoulder, he suggested, "Come on, let's get back to the game. I bet I'll beat you this time."

Sirius wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "Yea right," he said, turning to face the TV again, picking up the controller he'd discarded at some point during the conversation.

"Hey, it's got to happen eventually," James said, forcing a laugh.

People said video games encouraged violence. James thought that was stupid, as the Blacks had likely never played one in their whole lives and they were the most violent people James knew.


	8. The Evening News (June 27th 2001)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Rachel is amazed, Leonard is God damned, and Sirius and James are busy entertaining children.

It was a balmy day. Sort of typical, expected June weather. Nothing out of the ordinary. Things had been quiet around the house for a few days, and considering the boys had gotten out of school just last week, Rachel was really only surprised the peace had lasted this long. She knew James and Sirius well enough to know idle hands got up to no good.

Now, though, watching them drag what seemed to be a cow piñata in a flimsy wire cage, Rachel couldn't help but sigh. They could never keep out of trouble by having fun the normal way. A game of football in the park? Not those two. They had to be more inventive than _that_. Of course, she couldn't help but wonder what the cause was this time. Though her boys--Sirius was enough of a son to her that he and James had simply become "her boys"--always managed to keep themselves in just enough trouble to be interesting, she couldn't help but feel proud of them. There weren't many kids their age that cared about things like the environment and child labour in factories.

"If you come home in a police car again, I'm telling the officer to keep you this time," she called as her son took a rather impressive chunk out of the wall with the corner of the cage.

Sirius, who was attempting and failing to navigate the piñata, looked over at Rachel, surprised, before his face broke into a wide grin. "We're not doing anything illegal. We'll be entertaining _children_. Right, Jamie?"

"Kids! Yes. Plenty of them. Don't worry, Mum," James assured her, rubbing at the scratch on the wall he'd just made. He smiled up at her for a moment before awkwardly continuing towards the back door.

"I see. And I suppose I'd better not ask what the megaphones are for then?" Rachel said, crossing her arms as she watched them.

"To attract the children, of course," Sirius suggested practically.

"Oh, certainly. Very sensible of you," Rachel said, shaking her head and making her way into the kitchen to hide her smile from them. "Go on then. Have fun. But I warn you, your father and I _will_ be watching the news."

"Maybe, if you're lucky, they'll show that segment on there about that water skiing squirrel again," Sirius said. "That was pretty neat."

"Oh yes. I hope so," Rachel said, still grinning. "Don't let your old mum hold you up from your noble child entertaining."

"Thanks, Mum," James said gratefully, and awkwardly pulled the back door open with his elbow.

Watching them go, Rachel's mind tried to think of what they might possibly be doing with a cow piñata, because as selfless as they could sometimes be, she was absolutely certain they weren't just entertaining children.

***

Leonard sipped his tea thoughtlessly; his wife had presented him with the cup before seating herself in the armchair to the right of the couch. He burned his tongue, and grumbled, for he never complained unless necessary, or swore unless he was bleeding.

"The tea is scalding," he commented, before reaching for the converter to turn on the TV.

"Sorry dear," Rachel replied, setting hers on the coffee table to cool and curling her legs up beneath her to watch the news. "Though thank you for the warning."

Leonard nodded as the news started. The first fifteen minutes told of a train derailing at Kings Cross in London.

"Terrible, terrible," Leonard said, thoughtfully. He couldn't imagine being the family of some of those people, and having to find out such a thing. "Imagine not knowing about it, being related, eh, and then finding out by seeing clips of the train on the news. How horrid would that be?"

"Terrible indeed. And so tragic. I couldn't imagine what that would feel like," Rachel said sadly. She often considered simply not watching the news or reading the papers, largely because it was always so depressing. She liked being informed, however, and so she suffered through it, however disheartening it sometimes was. After a brief mention of an arrest made at a local diner when a man tried to dine and dash, the programme went live to the park right there in Salcombe.

Where James and Sirius were shouting into their megaphones as children beat the piñata with sticks.

"Oh dear Lord. Turn it up, Leonard," Rachel said quickly, sitting forward in her chair.

Shocked, Leonard did so, staring at the screen, transfixed. "What on earth are they doing?" he asked.

" _Linda Crossman reporting here from Salcombe Central Park where two local boys have instigated a demonstration advocating animal rights. James Potter and Sirius Black, both Salcombe natives, offered neighbourhood children the chance to attack their homemade piñata, a design featuring a young calf, trapped in a cage._ "

"I suppose there's our answer," Rachel said to Leonard as she brought one hand up to her mouth and stared at the TV in shock.

" _Do you know anything about the sorts of living conditions animals have to face in big meat factories? They're born in cages, they grow up in cages, and they're fed steroids and chemicals and meat to make them grow faster. Support local farmers and their farm raised animals! It's healthier all around!_ "

Rachel let out a breathy laugh as the screen showed James making an impassioned speech for his audience, directing his words both at the surrounding crowd as well as the news camera. Smiling, she muttered, "Those boys."

" _Young Mr. Black has agreed to speak with us about the project itself. Mr. Black, do you not support the eating of animals?"_

_Sirius quirked his eyes at the reporter. "I could care less, really. But some animals are raised like animals, raised on farms for the purpose of eating, but in healthy manners that don't but a strain on their lives, nor abuse them. Most of the veal you buy at the supermarket, however, is from chemical induced, abused baby cows that never get the opportunity to see the light of day, or their mothers."_

_"An animal dies either way," the reporter commented._

_"Yes, but wouldn't you rather eat veal knowing that the animal was taken care of properly, raised right, fed right and not injected with steroids just to make it seem more lean?" Sirius was obviously getting frustrated now._

_"Some people like their meat to be lean," said Linda Crossman, sceptically surveying Sirius._

_"Perfect example of that, last year in Wales an old man with heart problems bought a package of altered veal from his local supermarket and cooked it up for eats. That evening he suffered a heart attack, and when an autopsy was done, he was shown to have high levels of steroids in his blood stream that could be traced back to the meat." Sirius waited for the reporter to say something back, but when she didn't, he carried on, looking at the camera. "It's a choice between something that's be mercilessly abused from birth, or raised proper and healthy, slaughtered humanely. And if you like leaner meat, well. You're an asshole._ "

The segment was quickly wound up, ending with a few moments showing James walking around and handing out fliers to people before turning to show the children finally bursting the piñata and screaming gleefully as the all tried to gather as much candy as possible.

"Absolutely amazing," Rachel said, laughing full out now. The piñata had turned out to be a rather effective, timely metaphor, and both those kids were so good with words that Rachel had no doubt in her mind they'd helped many people see the err of their ways. Rachel herself had been buying all organic food for many years, but she had a feeling now lines would be a bit longer in the local butcher shop.

"Well I'll be God damned," Leonard said, surprising himself, for nothing on him was bleeding. "Those kids. I don't understand where they come up with some of this stuff, to do what they do, you know? Blows me away, every time."

"They're going to end up ruling the world one of these days," Rachel said fondly, smiling. "They can do anything, those two."


End file.
